See also: Videos: Rachel Maddow in Denver Takes on Fox News, Mark Udall's Dourness and Pot
For the IUD-related segment, which runs over ten minutes in length (which is no doubt why it couldn't be squeezed into her already jam-packed Denver-based broadcast), Maddow took to what she described as her "man cave" in order to break the news to dudes that their sperms aren't as tough as they may have thought. In fact, she noted, they're actually quite fragile, which is why IUDs work; in one of the most popular versions of the device, copper ions act as a spermicide to prevent a woman's eggs from being fertilized. This information isn't exactly tough to find. Yet in a clip from a debate shared by Maddow, Beauprez can be heard referring to IUDs as an "abortifacient" -- something that causes an abortion.Beauprez, of course, is a vocal abortion opponent.
In response, a Maddow producer sat down with Stephanie Teal from the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora to ask if IUDs can be accurately characterized in this way. Teal's unambiguous answer: no. She adds that there's no disagreement about this distinction in the medical community and suggests that the only dispute comes from politicians who thrive on what she politely calls "differences."
Colorado got an additional closeup on Wednesday's show as well, owing to a new anti-Cory Gardner spot circulated by NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado. In it, a man in the sack with a woman can be seen pawing through a bedside drawer as an announcer intones, "If Cory Gardner gets his way" -- cue graphic featuring the words "Ban Birth Control" -- "you'd better stock up on condoms."Maddow brands the result "mildly NSFW."
Look below to see the IUD report, Maddow's piece on the anti-Gardner spot and the original video, which pairs the condom bit with fifteen seconds about climate-change denial.
Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.