RFK Jr. changes mind, opposes 3-month federal abortion ban.
Democratic Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Walks Back on Abortion Statement
Democratic 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has walked back on a recent statement that he would institute a federal ban on abortion after three months of pregnancy.
“I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life,” Mr. Kennedy told NBC News during an interview on Sunday. The Democrat candidate then confirmed that he supports capping abortions at three months. When asked whether this means he would sign a federal ban on abortion after three months, Mr. Kennedy replied, “Yes, I would.”
“Once the child is viable outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting that child,” he said while adding “I’m for medical freedom. Individuals ought to be able to make their own choices.”
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As news of Mr. Kennedy’s support for a potential federal ban on abortion spread, pro-life groups responded with support.
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stated position is a stark contrast to the Democratic Party’s radical stance of abortion on demand, with no protection for babies in the womb or their mothers, right up to the end of pregnancy,” SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in an Aug. 13 statement.
“It recalls a party that most of its leaders today, including Joe Biden before he caved to the extreme Left, have abandoned—one that believed, or at least claimed to believe, that abortion should be ‘rare.”
However, the Kennedy campaign soon issued a clarification in which the candidate backtracked on his earlier comment.
“Today, Mr. Kennedy misunderstood a question posed to him by a NBC reporter in a crowded, noisy exhibit hall at the Iowa State Fair,” the Aug. 13 statement said.
“Mr. Kennedy’s position on abortion is that it is always the woman’s right to choose. He does not support legislation banning abortion.”
In response, Ali Vitali, the NBC journalist who interviewed Mr. Kennedy on the abortion issue, posted a transcript of the exchange on X, stating that she had asked the question “multiple times to make sure we’re understanding—even at one point saying I was surprised by the stance.”
During a town hall event in New Hampshire in June, Mr. Kennedy had labeled himself “pro-choice” while speaking in favor of legal abortion.
Biden Backs Abortion
Abortion is a key issue in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, with leading candidates from Democrat and Republican parties at odds with each other on the matter.
President Biden, who is running for a second term under the Democratic Party, has been supportive of abortion, except during the last three months of pregnancy.
Speaking to a crowd in Maryland in late June, the president said that “I happen to be a practicing Catholic. I’m not big on abortion. But guess what? Roe v. Wade got it right,” according to Fox News.
“Historically, the first three months or thereabouts, in all major religions, was: That’s between a woman and her doctor,” he said. “The next three months is between, I mean, just a woman and her family. Next three months is between a woman and her doctor.”
“The last three months have to be negotiated, because you can’t—unless you are in a position where your physical health is at stake you can’t do it.”
Three major abortion groups—Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL: Pro-Choice America, and EMILY’s List—are supporting Mr. Biden for the 2024 presidential race.
“There is so much at stake,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a June 23 statement.
“We know, clear as day, that if anti-abortion politicians gain control of the White House, they will exploit their power toward their ultimate goal: a national abortion ban. That is why we must re-elect President Biden and Vice President Harris.”
Republican Stance on Abortion
On the Republican side, former President Donald Trump, who is leading the GOP primaries, has taken a stance against pro-abortion laws.
“When I’m reelected, I will continue to fight against the demented late-term abortionists in the Democrat Party who believe in unlimited abortion on demand and even executing babies after birth,” he said during an event on June 24.
However, President Trump insisted that there must be “three exceptions” to pro-life laws—abortions would be allowed in the case of rape, incest, and if the life of the mother is in danger.
He also committed to rejoining the Geneva Conesus Declaration that was created by his administration and signed by 36 nations.
“This declaration affirms the family as the foundation of a good and great society, and states that every human being has the inherent right to life. And Joe Biden withdrew the United States from this historic declaration his very first week in office.”
The former president has not yet committed to instituting a 15-week federal ban on abortion.
The second leading candidate in the GOP, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has also refused to commit to such a move. In an Aug. 8 interview with NBC, Mr. DeSantis indicated that abortion is a state issue rather than a federal one.
“I do think the federal government would have an interest in, say, preventing post-birth abortions or things that are really horrific. But I don’t think that there’s enough consensus in the country to see a lot of mileage in Congress,” he said.
“If you want to protect life, it’s a bottom-up movement.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence and Nikki Haley have said that they support a 15-week federal abortion ban.
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