MEDIA SILENCE: MAJOR NEW MEXICO NEWS OUTLETS IGNORE DOCUMENTED ABORTION INDUSTRY INVESTIGATIONS

Major outlets repeatedly amplify abortion-industry narratives while refusing to seriously investigate Planned Parenthood’s political spending, conflicting state abortion statistics, taxpayer funding, clinic operations, and the collapse of public accountability.

By Bud Shaver,

​ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Abortion Free New Mexico is calling out what appears to be a deliberate pattern of media silence from a New Mexico press establishment that has become radically aligned with the abortion industry and the politicians who protect it.

Over the past several weeks, Abortion Free New Mexico has released a series of documented investigations exposing serious questions involving Planned Parenthood’s political influence, state abortion statistics, taxpayer-funded abortion, abortion-facility operations, government transparency, and the repeal of basic abortion-reporting requirements.

Yet New Mexico’s largest media outlets have largely refused to investigate, challenge, or even meaningfully report the findings.

This silence is especially revealing because many of these same outlets routinely promote abortion-industry messaging, celebrate abortion expansion, repeat claims from pro-abortion politicians without serious scrutiny, and frame abortion providers as unquestioned authorities.

When the abortion industry wants publicity, New Mexico’s media provide a platform.

When evidence raises questions about that industry’s money, power, statistics, political relationships, or government protection, the media suddenly lose interest.

Among AFNM’s recent investigations are:

• Planned Parenthood’s more than $1.08 million in political spending intended to influence New Mexico elections.
• An ethics complaint raising questions about political expenditures, lobbying influence, and campaign-finance transparency.
• Internal Department of Health emails exposing unanswered questions about abortion statistics promoted by the Governor.
• Major discrepancies between state abortion figures and estimates published by the Guttmacher Institute.
• The repeal of New Mexico’s abortion-reporting law after years of apparent noncompliance.
• The closure and consolidation of an Albuquerque abortion facility documented through eyewitness investigation and an undercover phone call.
• Data identifying New Mexico as having the highest abortion rate in the nation.
• Continued taxpayer funding of abortion through New Mexico Medicaid.
• The political influence of an abortion industry that has benefited from years of favorable legislation, public funding, reduced oversight, and expanding operations.​​

New Mexico’s major media outlets do not appear to function as neutral watchdogs when abortion is involved,”said Tara Shaver, of Abortion Free New Mexico. “They operate within a radically pro-abortion culture that protects the abortion industry from the scrutiny routinely applied to almost every other powerful political interest.”

AFNM’s investigations are based on public records, official government communications, campaign-finance filings, firsthand observations, undercover verification, legislative history, and published data.

These are not rumors, anonymous accusations, or social media speculation,” Tara Shaver said. “We have published the paper trail. We have released the records. We have identified the discrepancies. We have documented the political spending. Every report is publicly available for anyone to examine. The media’s refusal to investigate is becoming a story in itself.”

AFNM contends that the issue is not merely ideological bias. It is a failure of journalism that allows politically powerful organizations and elected officials to operate without meaningful public accountability.
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New Mexico reporters frequently scrutinize conservative organizations, Republican officials, churches, and pro-life advocates. 

​But when Planned Parenthood spends more than $1 million influencing elections, abortion statistics conflict by thousands, reporting requirements disappear, and taxpayer dollars continue flowing into abortion, the silence becomes deafening.

The abortion industry has political allies in the Governor’s Office, the Legislature, and throughout state government,” Shaver said. “It also appears to have ideological allies in New Mexico newsrooms. That raises a basic question: Who will investigate the abortion industry when the institutions entrusted with holding power accountable are committed to advancing the same agenda?”

AFNM is also raising concerns about the responsibilities of publicly funded media outlets. If news organizations receive taxpayer support—whether directly or indirectly—they have an obligation to cover matters of public importance in New Mexico regardless of ideology, political pressure, or editorial preference. Public funding should require a commitment to transparency, fairness, and comprehensive reporting on issues affecting New Mexicans.
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​Accordingly, AFNM is calling on New Mexico’s journalists, editors, and publicly funded news organizations to answer the following questions:

• Why have major discrepancies in state abortion statistics received so little scrutiny?
• Why has Planned Parenthood’s extraordinary political spending not triggered sustained investigative coverage?
• Why has the repeal of abortion-reporting requirements not been treated as a major government-transparency scandal?
• Why are abortion-industry claims routinely repeated while documented pro-life investigations are ignored?
• Do New Mexico newsrooms have ideological conflicts that prevent fair coverage of abortion-related issues?
• Would the media remain silent if a conservative organization exercised the same political influence and received the same government benefits?
• If these outlets receive any form of taxpayer funding, what specific policies, editorial safeguards, and accountability measures are in place to ensure they are fulfilling their legal and ethical obligation to provide comprehensive, viewpoint-neutral coverage of all significant public issues affecting New Mexico residents?

AFNM emphasizes that these questions are not intended to challenge the editorial independence of New Mexico’s news organizations, but to encourage transparency, accountability, and public confidence. When documented investigations involving public records, campaign-finance filings, government data, ethics complaints, and undercover reporting receive little or no sustained investigative scrutiny, it is reasonable for the public to ask whether matters of significant public importance are receiving fair, comprehensive, and independent coverage.

The media cannot credibly claim to hold the powerful accountable while protecting one of the most politically connected industries in New Mexico,” Shaver concluded. “New Mexicans deserve journalism, not abortion-industry public relations. The evidence is available. The public records have been released. The only question remaining is whether anyone in New Mexico’s media has the courage to follow them.”

Readers can review the underlying investigations, public records, campaign-finance filings, and supporting documentation referenced in this release at AbortionFreeNM.com and examine the evidence for themselves.

RECENT REPORTS: ​

• FOLLOW THE DATA: INTERNAL STATE EMAILS RAISE NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GOVERNOR’S ABORTION STATISTICS
• FOLLOW THE MONEY: AFNM EXPOSES PLANNED PARENTHOOD'S $1.08 MILLION POLITICAL MACHINE IN NEW MEXICO
• ALAMO WOMEN’S ABORTION CLINIC CLOSES ONE OF ITS ALBUQUERQUE LOCATIONS
• REPORT: New Mexico had highest abortion rate of all 50 states in 2025

ABOUT ABORTION FREE NEW MEXICO

Abortion Free New Mexico works to end abortion through investigative research, public exposure, accountability efforts, and direct outreach to women and families. Through sidewalk outreach, pregnancy assistance, and educational initiatives, the organization seeks to build a culture where every preborn child is valued and protected.