They don't even try anymore...

So in one of those random web surfing experiences, I happened to find myself looking at Time Magazine's "Top 10 of Everything of 2008," and I noticed that on bio-ethical issues, their reviewers don't even make an attempt to acknowledge a different side of the debate.

Let's take the top medical breakthrough of 2008 (emphases added):

"President-elect Obama has pledged to lift the seven-year ban on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research — a boon for the field. But for some scientists, it almost doesn't matter. Researchers at Harvard and Columbia reported a milestone experiment in July, using a new method — one that doesn't require embryos at all — to generate the first motor neurons from stem cells in two elderly women with Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS."

Of course, it's such a boon for the field that we can now kill embryos for the sake of science, even though it's unnecessary--oh wait, my bad, almost unnecessary--to do so. I mean, heck, it's just neurons. I'm sure embryonic stem cells will gives us ultra-cool-super-awesome cells that will allow us to recover instantly from diseases or read people's minds. Thanks, President Obama!

And in another stunning display of totally unbiased reviewing, Time Magazine highlights the movie 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days as the fourth best movie of 2008:

"In Romania under the Ceausescu regime, abortion was banned, and within 20 years some half a million women had died from having botched illegal abortions. This severe thriller from writer-director Christian Mungiu focuses on Gabita (Laura Vasiliu), a pregnant college student, and her friend Otilia (Anamaria Marinca), who finds a man who'll do the job: a quietly thuggish fellow who calls himself Mr. Bebe (Vlad Ivanov). Remorseless long takes build the suspense as the young women secure a hotel room and, when Bebe explains how they'll have to pay, question whether it's worth the price. Strap yourself in for this minimalist, splendidly acted horror film — and count your blessings that you live in a country where choosing an abortion doesn't mean losing a life."

Don't get me wrong: the plot does sound rather intriguing. It is undeniable that certain regimes that have outlawed abortions have also been horrible regimes.

But, seriously? Is there just not even another side in this debate? Once again, the mainstream media thinks abortion is all about choosing, without any thought given to the other side, who truly believes abortion means that someone is losing a life.

People sometimes ask why there are complaints about mainstream media bias. I guess the answer is that even when it comes to simple reviews of current events and pop culture, the mainstream media wears its opinions on its sleeves.