What a lousy media morning. It’s hard not to be sad — and furious. Todd Akin’s comment is obviously a gift to those who cynically claim that there is a “war on women” men in the GOP are leading.

Abortion — and oh my goodness, rape — is a painful topic, and politics doesn’t always make for the most compassionate and constructive headlines.

Whenever abortion is in the media, there is tremendous opportunity for hurt. And cynicism and confusion never help.

Take, for instance, this CNN story over the weekend about a teenager in the Dominican Republic who has died. Most of the English-language press insists that by law the hospital couldn’t treat her cancer because of pro-life extremism (even though she eventually evidently did wind up on chemotherapy). Some then go on to blame the Catholic Church for the laws that would keep hospitals from treating a cancer victim who is pregnant. But in the wake of a tragedy, the media adds salt into open wounds and in this case appears guilty of gross malpractice. The language of law doesn’t tie hospital hands in such a case. The Catholic Church doesn’t have a bloodlust (e-mailers and Tweeters this weekend certainly think I do) to see mothers with cancer dead (you can treat cancer; some women choose not to on the chance it will spare the life of her child, that’s heroism. Heroism isn’t required). Even basic, specific details of the case seem to be wrong in this CNN story, if this is correct: That the law was a problem, that we don’t know the name of the girl, when her name appears in Spanish-language press.

Two people have died, may they rest in peace, spared from our world of anything but.