NBC Chief Medical Editor Demands Catholic Church Support Contraception

NewsBusters.org ^ | March 18, 2013 | Kyle Drennan

[Kaslin]

Appearing on Monday's NBC Today as part of the Today's Professionals panel discussion, the network's chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman urged the Catholic Church to abandon its opposition to contraception: "Here's one thing I really would implore the Catholic Church to do on a global issue.... poverty without birth control begets more poverty....So this is a chance to take the humility and the poverty and say now we're really going to talk about this in a civilized way and move it forward." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Advertising executive Donny Deutsch chimed in: "Well that's my point, we're not talking about the real issues....And we can talk about tolerance with gays and attitudes towards women." Snyderman agreed: "And women in the Church."

NBC Chief Medical Editor Demands Catholic Church Support Contraception

The commentary was prompted by co-host Matt Lauer fretting that newly elected Pope Francis was showing too much humility: "A lot of people seem to be falling in love with this guy, in part because of humility and authenticity....Is it possible to take it too far?"

Deutsch lectured: "...there's style and there's substance. It's great to do all of this style stuff, man of the people. But, and we've talked about this ad nauseam, until the Catholic Church starts to address what we all know are the real issues the Church has, which is the real concern of the people, this stuff doesn't matter."

Near the end of the exchange, Lauer wondered: "Does this behavior take some of the mystique away from the Papacy?"

Here is a full transcript of the March 18 panel discussion:

8:09AM ET

MATT LAUER: We're back now, 8:09, with Today's Professionals. Star Jones, Donny Deutsch, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, here to weigh in on the stories that have a lot of people talking. Good morning all, nice to see you guys.

Let's start by talk about Pope Francis, okay? A lot of people seem to be falling in love with this guy, in part because of humility and authenticity. This is a guy who said, "I'm not going to stand and greet the other cardinals on an elevated platform, I'm going to be a their level." He rode a minivan instead of the papal sedan. He went to the hotel...

NANCY SNYDERMAN: Paid his own bill.

LAUER: ...after being elevated to pope, checked himself out, paid his own bill. So a lot of people like this move to simplicity, a move to the – to the poor. Is it possible to take it too far?

STAR JONES: Yeah, in a way. Because as pope he has certain security issues that the Swiss guard's going to have to put in place. There's certain things that he can't do. He should not be in, you know, the public transportation. He can, of course, be a man of the people, but he really can't be with the people all the time.

LAUER: So this morning when he went out of the Vatican and greeted some of the faithful at the side there and shook their hands, you don't think we're going to see this for long?

DONNY DEUTSCH: You know, to me, it's interesting as an image guy, there's style and there's substance. It's great to do all of this style stuff, man of the people. But, and we've talked about this ad nauseam, until the Catholic Church starts to address what we all know are the real issues the Church has, which is the real concern of the people, this stuff doesn't matter. It doesn't matter.

SNYDERMAN [POINTING TO JONES, DEUTSCH, AND HERSELF]: So, you know, it's interesting sitting here today because we have a Charismatic Christian, a Jew, and an Episcopalian.

DEUTSCH: Why is she [Jones] a Charismatic Christian and I'm just a Jew?

[LAUGHTER]

SNYDERMAN: Because that's-

LAUER: You're a charismatic member of the Jewish faith. How about that?

SNYDERMAN: Well, with that little bump, and I'm an Episcopalian, speaking about the Catholic Church. I happen to love the pomp and circumstance of tradition. But here's one thing I really would implore the Catholic Church to do on a global issue If this man has adopted the name of Francis-

LAUER: Francis of Assisi.

SNYDERMAN: Of Francis of Assisi, and deals with the poor, poverty without birth control begets more poverty.

DEUTSCH: Well that's my point, we're not talking about the real issues.

SNYDERMAN: So this is a chance to take the humility and the poverty and say now we're really going to talk about this in a civilized way and move it forward.

DEUTSCH: And we can talk about tolerance with gays and attitudes towards women.

SNYDERMAN: And women in the Church.

JONES: That's not going to happen. You can't – you're going to – don't expect that the Pope is going to – the Pope is not going to make those changes right now. It's not happening.

LAUER: You guys have taken this in a much deeper direction than I actually intended. I meant more on a superficial level. Does this behavior take some of the mystique away from the Papacy?

SNYDERMAN: No, no.

LAUER: And is that a good thing or a bad thing?

DEUTSCH: No, it makes it more appealing. I mean if he can appeal on that level, it just makes him literally and figuratively a man of the people.

SNYDERMAN: But interestingly, now I want more from him.

LAUER: Okay.

[floozy22]

"...poverty without birth control begets more poverty."

Besides being a communist shrew, the woman is absolutely WRONG.

For the last 50+ years in this country, TRILLIONS have been spent on welfare, and every other kind of public assistance known to man. El Diablo and the democrats continually preach about "the poor" - which happens to include millions of welfare mommas who have had, courtesy of the American taxpayer, access to every type of birth control that exists. And yet, there is still poverty!

Catholics and other Christians do the heavy lifting in this world when it comes to charity and charitable causes, but all a snob like Syderman can do is rip them for not endorsing birth control and gay marriage. For an MD she's pretty stupid.

[MeganC]

I’m not a Catholic but even I appreciate that there’s a lot more to the ‘Eternal Church’ than just a mere name. They call it an ‘Eternal Church’ because their values and beliefs are not subject to the whims and vagueries of politically correct society and fallen-away liberal Jews like Snyderman and Lauer.

[Mr. Lucky]

Let's see; John D. Rockefeller was one of 7 children and Henry Ford was one of 8. Of course, Conelius Vanderbilt was an only child, but he had 12 children.

There's not a whole lot of science behind assertion, is there.

[Ann Archy]

I Just LOVE when Jews tell the Catholic Chirch what they should do!!!!!

[Ann Archy]

Lack of MARRIAGE causes Poverty!!!

[Mrs. Don-o]

What gets me is that commentators yammer on about "The Vatican's position on..." or "The Pope's stance against..." --- position and stance being something they could change.

Nobody in the Church --- neither Pope nor Council nor Curia nor the "Sensus Fidelium" --- has the power or authority to change moral reality. It's not something some Catholic invented. It's not something some Catholic can revoke.

I love the brisk and bracing intransigence.

[Retired Chemist]

I’ve said for a long time that the Catholic church should drop it’s ban on contraception and many U.S. Catholics disregard it. I am opposed to abortion.

[trisham]

Why do they so obsessed with the Catholic Church?

[trisham]

Sorry. I meant to say: Why are they so obsessed with the Catholic Church?

[steve86]

We greatly value your opinion /sarc

[steve86]

I liked it better the first way :)

[Mrs. Don-o]

I refer you to #46.

It's not that the Catholic church has a "ban" on contraception which it could possibly "drop". It's that the Catholic Church recognizes the goodness of natural sex, and the moral wrongness of intentionally unnatural sex.

Look: Trannies make themselves sexually unnatural with hormones, devices and surgery.

Contraceptors make themselves sexually unnatural with hormones, devices and surgery.

They have a lot in common, not only in practice, but also in attitude, in that they don't like their natural sexual design as it was created: normal, healthy, and complete in every detail.

They sabotage their own sexual wholeness.

Plus: even from a pragmatic point of view: contraception does not eliminate or reduce abortions. In every society in which they have been introduced, they go up in tandem.

[steve86]

You honestly think The Catholic Church is going to change its value system to embrace sin because of sinners in the church? You don’t understand Catholicism!

[trisham]

LOL! Thanks. :)

[trisham]

Well said.

[plain talk]

Well I think it does contribute to poverty. However it really doesn’t matter. The Catholic Church can proscribe whatever commands it wants and those outside the Church have no say and should keep their mouths shut. I get ticked off at these liberals trying to order a church about.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

The react kind of like the demons did when they heard the church bells ring in the Disney movie Fantasia. Painful wincing as they try to keep dancing in the flames, until they finally have to retreat to the cemetery, defeated.

And all that remains is the peaceful sounds of Ave Maria.

[Retired Chemist]

You don’t understand Catholicism!

The Catholic Church is always pushing for more government aid for poor people. Why should I pay to support kids who resulted from their ban on contraception?

[steve86]

"The Catholic Church is always pushing for more government aid for poor people"

Huh? I suppose there have been left-wing style social justice advocates, nominally of the church, who've advocated such a thing, but the true Catholic position -- and this is the actual meaning of social justice -- is to obtain critical i.e. food and housing aid to the poor from the most local level first and then move up if absolutely necessary. For example: family, church, employer if any, charity...and if all those fail then government might be the next step but only for essentials, not frills.

Why should I pay to support kids who resulted from their ban on contraception?

Well, in truly needy cases -- and where the local effort has failed -- I believe in helping out children regardless of what their parents did or did not do. This would seem to be consistent with tenets of Christianity.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

The medical editor? The CHIEF medical editor? Of NBC?!

You don’t say.