MSNBC Silent as Guest Claims Pro-Lifers Akin to Tiller Killer

Published: 4/13/2011 3:41 PM ET

Robert Redford's period piece on the assassination of Abraham Lincoln hits theaters Friday, but one author who was featured on MSNBC thinks America is embroiled in a modern day "civil war" over abortion.

On the April 12 edition of Martin Bashir, fill-in anchor Richard Lui failed to challenge Stephen Singular, author of "The Wichita Divide," on the illogical connection he drew between the man who killed Dr. George Tiller, who was known for providing late-term abortions, and pro-life advocates who are pushing to de-fund Planned Parenthood.

During the six-minute interview, Lui lobbed softball questions and gave Singular a soapbox to compare the "forces that oppose abortion" to Scott Roeder, the radical activist who gunned down Tiller in his church in 2009.

"I think when the forces that oppose abortion are willing to essentially shut down the federal government over a woman's right to choose what she wants to do with her own body, when it reaches that level, I think it can be called a war," argued Singular.

A video of the segment, which aired at 3:11 p.m. EDT on MSNBC's "Martin Bashir," can be found here.

- Alex Fitzsimmons is a News Analysis intern at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.