I was scrolling through Twitter when I saw a feed belonging to Dae Shik Kim Hawkins, Jr., a Seattle writer who specializes in religion and homelessness. That’s an unusual combo.

In one tweet, he was applauding a video he helped produce that aired Dec. 28. It markets abortion to kids; a job he called “the Lord’s work.” Only in Seattle is abortion seen as a kids ministry.

So what is the journalism question here? Here we are dealing with a story worthy of mainstream coverage, which GetReligion would then critique. However, that would assume that mainstream newsrooms have produced mainstream news coverage of a topic this hot and controversial.

So what kind of coverage is out there?

Sure enough, conservative media have been fuming about it all. CBN said:

A YouTube channel for kids is facing controversy after posting a video of a pro-choice activist working to convince children it's ok to have an abortion. Amelia Bonow, the woman who started the social media hashtag #ShoutYourAbortion, appears in the video talking with children about her abortion experience and sharing her views on the issue. The popular organization known as HiHo Kids has more than 2 million followers on YouTube. HiHo published the video online on Dec. 28 entitled "Kids Meet Someone Who's Had An Abortion." It's already been seen by more than 200,000 people. In the eight-minute video, young children squirm as Bonow tries to indoctrinate them with her pro-abortion worldview. She compares having an abortion to a bad dentist appointment and a bodily procedure that's "kind of uncomfortable." She also tells one child that she believes abortion is "all part of God's plan."

HiHo Kids, known as a “children’s brand” produced at the Seattle offices of Cut.com (where Hawkins works), provides edgy programming that features different cuisines kids can try plus the occasional Interesting Person kids can meet. The abortion activist was one of a lineup that included a ventriloquist, a gender non-conforming person, a transgender soldier, a person who’s committed a felony, a ballerina, a hypnotist, a deaf person, a drag queen, a gynecologist, a teen mom and, well, you get the idea.

I guess the idea is that by familiarizing these kids with these various life choices or conditions, the youthful listeners will quickly learn to accept them all. Think they ever get to meet a rabbi, priest, pastor, a nun, imam or Mormon elder? I doubt it. That would not be newsworthy.

HiHo Kids isn’t playing games, folks. Its creative director, in her Linked-In profile, tells us HiHo “aims to shape the next generation of critical thinkers.”

When it comes to abortion, Catholic News Service lets us know that a children’s book is in the offing.

Bonow posted the video on her Twitter, and announced that her group was also working on a children’s book: “I let a bunch of kids grill me about my abortion and it was great. #ShoutYourAbortion will be releasing a children’s book about abortion in 2020!” But the 2,200-plus comments on her post were overwhelmingly against the video.

In other conservative news, The Daily Wire ran a partial transcript, pointing to Bonow’s use of God language several times in the broadcast.

I’m curious if the activist would have used religious terms had she been talking with adults. If not – and I suspect she would not have – then this was a deliberate move to get kids to drop whatever religious qualms against abortion they might have acquired from the Bible, their parents, etc.

Looking for coverage on the left?

#ShoutYourAbortion was founded here in Seattle and if you’re dumb enough not to know that, Seattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur will remind you whenever possible. She did a feature on Bonow’s recent local booksigning tour, including a launch party at the most famous bookstore in town. I noticed the comment section with her piece got shut down as there were too many irate responses. I guess there are a few conservatives left in this state.

Bonow’s book on the abortion hashtag got local raves although not so many national ones. The Federalist ran a good critique of it.