French TV channel fined €100k for accurately stating abortion is world’s leading cause of death

(LifeSiteNews) — France’s Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom) has fined a TV channel for accurately reporting that abortion is the leading cause of death worldwide.   

On November 13, French media regulatory authority Arcom fined CNEWS 100,000 euros after journalist Aymeric Pourbaix accurately listed abortion as the world’s highest cause of death during the channel’s Catholic program called “En quête d’esprit”, or “In Search of Spirit.”  

“Abortion cannot be presented as a cause of death,” Arcom declared in their decision. “It appears from the viewing report of this program that the presenter, relying on an infographic broadcast on the air, presented abortion as a cause of mortality.”  

“Part of the sequence in question equates abortion with a cause of death and, by implication, the embryo or fetus that could not be born alive because of an abortion with a deceased person, even though in law they are not considered as persons,” the regulatory stated. 

Arcom argued the channel had failed in its “obligation of honesty and rigour in the presentation and handling of information.” 

During the February program, Pourbaix had presented a chart from the Worldometers, which is based on figures from the World Health Organization. According to the graph, abortion constituted 52% of deaths worldwide, with 73 million babies being killed each year. This is compared to only 10 million from cancer and 6.2 million from smoking.  

In addition to the fine, Arcom mandated that CNEWS, which is owned by Catholic businessman Vincent Bolloré, publicly apologize for showing the graph, which CNEWS did in February.  

“The CNews channel apologizes to its viewers for this error that should not have happened,” declared CNEWS presenter Laurence Ferrari said just days after the graph was shown.  

Laurence Ferrari a pris la parole. CNEWS regrette la diffusion de l’infographie intitulée «Les causes de la mortalité dans le monde» dans l’émission «En quête d’esprit» diffusée le 25 février et présente ses excuses à toutes les personnes que cette infographie aurait pu heurter pic.twitter.com/E9MupEEkzt

— CNEWS (@CNEWS) February 26, 2024

Shortly after, Jean-Marie Le Méné, head of the pro-life Jérôme Lejeune Foundation told Valeurs Actuelles that Arcom’s decision was an attempt to cover up the reality of abortions.   

“In order for abortion to be practised with a clear conscience, it is forbidden to say that abortion takes life,” Le Méné said. “Otherwise the keystone of the system collapses. But who believes this fiction?… Abortion, the leading cause of death in the world, is unfortunately a fact, not an opinion.” 

Arcom’s decision comes just months after Council of State, one of France’s highest administrative courts, recommended that CNEWS be tightly controlled following its pro-life report, according to the European Conservative.  

Arcom has apparently taken the recommendation to heart as the regulator has imposed 52 sanctions against the C8 and CNEWS, both of which are owned by Bolloré, in twelve years, including 16 in 2024 alone. 

To respectfully express concerns about Arcom’s ruling, individuals can submit a complaint through their online contact form, send a letter to Arcom at 39-43, Quai André-Citroën, 75739 Paris Cedex 15, France, or call their main office at +33 1 40 58 38 00.

Social media engagement is also possible via their official accounts on Twitter and Facebook. Correspondence should be in French, include specific details about the ruling, and maintain a respectful tone to ensure constructive communication.