Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki provided commentary on the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate Tuesday night. Psaki now hosts Inside with Jen Psaki on MSNBC.
During the second segment of the debate, Fox News moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum questioned the candidates about their position on abortion, asking what restrictions – if any – they would support on the federal level.
In response to the segment, Psaki tweeted, “No one supports abortion up until birth.”
There’s just one problem.
Psaki is dead wrong.
There are seven states in the Union – Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont, plus Washington, D.C. – that currently have no gestational limit on when a woman can obtain an abortion. These states permit women to get abortions when their preborn baby is 25, 30, 35, 38 or 40 weeks old. There is no age limit.
Obviously, in these states, there are individuals – state lawmakers for example – who support abortion up until birth. Otherwise, abortion would be restricted at some point in a woman’s pregnancy.
Various other states – including Michigan and California – passed ballot measures last year that enshrined abortion as a “right” in their state constitutions. These measures ensured abortion was legal up until viability – generally 22-weeks gestation – but also permit any abortions if an abortionist determines it is necessary for a woman’s “heath” or “mental health.”
These “health” exceptions are so broad as to effectively permit abortion up until birth.
In response to these facts, many on the left claim that while late-terms abortion are legal, they’re rare and constitute a small percentage of all abortions.
Abortion-supporting journalist Katie Couric, for example, tweeted last night, “Worth noting that fewer than 1% of abortions occur in the third trimester.”
It’s true that most abortions occur early in a woman’s pregnancy. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t important to consider how our laws should govern late-term abortions.
An estimated 15,000 late-term abortions occur every year in the United States alone. The issue of late-term abortion surely matters to these preborn babies and their mothers.
The left frequently likes to justify abortion citing cases of rape and incest – but abortions performed because of those crimes also constitute a very small percentage of abortions. If these extremists Left can talk about abortion in the case of rape and incest, pro-life supporters can – and should – discuss late-term abortions.
Additionally, according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll conducted in April 2023, a small minority of Americans – 22% – say abortion should “be available any time during a pregnancy.”
This would equate to tens of millions of Americans who support absolutely no limits on abortion – obviously, this means there are many who “support abortion up until birth.”
Lastly, Jen Psaki should be asked the following question: “If ‘no one’ supports abortion up until birth, surely you would support a law banning abortion at some point in a woman’s pregnancy? If so, at what point should abortion be prohibited?”
Psaki would likely reply that she “trusts a woman and her doctor to make decisions about abortion.” In effect, that position allows women to choose abortion up until birth.
Sorry, Jen. There are radical anti-life activists who support abortion up until birth. Thankfully, this position is far out of the mainstream and held by only a minority of Americans. But just one American who holds such a position is too many.
If you are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and want to learn more about your options, visit My Choice Network.
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Counseling Consultation & Referrals
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Are Late-Term Abortions Still a Thing?
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