https://sputnikglobe.com/20230814/2024-hopeful-rfk-jr-backtracks-on-remarks-supporting-three-month-abortion-ban-1112594560.html
2024 Hopeful RFK Jr. Backtracks on Remarks Supporting Three-Month Abortion Ban
2024 Hopeful RFK Jr. Backtracks on Remarks Supporting Three-Month Abortion Ban
Sputnik International
A Democratic presidential candidate is struggling to unring the bell after his latest statement in contradiction to the stated values of his party.
2023-08-14T20:41+0000
2023-08-14T20:41+0000
2023-08-14T20:40+0000
americas
robert f. kennedy jr
abortion
anti-abortion legislation
democratic primaries
iowa state fair
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Speaking to reporters at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on Sunday, Robert. F. Kennedy, Jr. said he would support a ban on aborting a pregnancy after 90 days of gestation - a position his campaign soon sought to retract.The media hubbub was immediate, and just hours later, Kennedy’s campaign issued a statement claiming the 69-year-old candidate “misunderstood” the question.In response, the journalist who posed the question to RFK, Jr. published on the social media site X the entire transcript of the exchange “in which I ask the questions multiple times to make sure we’re understanding - even at one point saying I was surprised by the stance.”It’s unclear exactly what Kennedy meant, either, since fetal viability generally occurs between 23 and 24 weeks of gestation, which is more than 5 months after conception. However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) notes “there is no single formally recognized clinical definition” of the term.It’s also a position out of line with almost the entirety of the Democratic Party, which has long rallied around abortion rights but especially after the US Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion in the Dobbs vs. Jackson ruling last year. The decision unleashed a tsunami of bans and restrictions in Republican-controlled states.Last week in Ohio, voters rejected a GOP-led attempt to block changes to the state constitution, such as one proposed by Democrats that would enshrine access to the medical procedure in the state’s top legal document. In California, Vermont and Michigan, Democrats have already succeeded at that effort, and similar proposals could appear on ballots in Maryland, Missouri, Nevada and New York in 2024 or 2026.Kennedy’s campaign has been beset by scandals thanks to the candidate’s proclivity for outrageous gabs. Already controversial for his unproven views that vaccines cause autism and that chemicals in drinking water cause transgender identities, Kennedy has also drawn flak for suggesting COVID-19 is a bioweapon deliberately engineered to spare ethnic Chinese and Ashkenazi Jews - again, a conclusion for which there is no scientific proof.The latest aggregate polling data compiled by FiveThirtyEight has 63.8% of Democratic voters saying they intend to vote for US President Joe Biden, while 15.2% say they intend to vote for Kennedy.
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rfk jr. abortion ban; iowa state fair; robert kennedy
rfk jr. abortion ban; iowa state fair; robert kennedy
2024 Hopeful RFK Jr. Backtracks on Remarks Supporting Three-Month Abortion Ban
A Democratic presidential candidate is struggling to unring the bell after his latest statement in contradiction to the stated values of his party.
Speaking to reporters at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on Sunday, Robert. F. Kennedy, Jr. said he would support a ban on aborting a pregnancy after 90 days of gestation - a position his campaign soon sought to retract.
“I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life,” Kennedy said while fielding questions from a gaggle of reporters. He added: “Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child.”
The media hubbub was immediate, and just hours later, Kennedy’s campaign
issued a statement claiming the 69-year-old candidate “misunderstood” the question.
“Mr. Kennedy’s position on abortion is that it is always the woman’s right to choose. He does not support legislation banning abortion,” the campaign said.
In response, the journalist who posed the question to RFK, Jr. published on the social media site X the entire transcript of the exchange “in which I ask the questions multiple times to make sure we’re understanding - even at one point saying I was surprised by the stance.”
It’s unclear exactly what Kennedy meant, either, since fetal viability generally occurs between 23 and 24 weeks of gestation, which is more than 5 months after conception. However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) notes “there is no single formally recognized clinical definition” of the term.
“The concept of viability of a fetus is frequently misrepresented or misinterpreted based on ideological principles,” the association writes. “This perpetuates incorrect and unscientific understandings of medical terms and leads to interference in the practice of medicine. As people across the United States continue to navigate the developing post-Dobbs landscape, it’s critical that medical terminology be understood through the lens of science rather than the lens of political application and interpretation. Understanding viability is especially important as policy makers and those who interpret policy draw on the concept of viability in order to inform and create laws. As such, ACOG strongly discourages the inclusion of viability in legislation or regulation.”
It’s also a position out of line with almost the entirety of the Democratic Party, which has long rallied around abortion rights but especially after the US Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion in the Dobbs vs. Jackson ruling last year. The decision unleashed a tsunami of bans and restrictions in Republican-controlled states.
Indeed, Kennedy’s position is identical to that of a Republican candidate - former US Vice President Mike Pence, who has also called for a 15-week abortion ban.
Last week in Ohio, voters rejected a GOP-led attempt to block changes to the state constitution, such as one proposed by Democrats that would enshrine access to the medical procedure in the state’s top legal document. In California, Vermont and Michigan, Democrats have already succeeded at that effort, and similar proposals could appear on ballots in Maryland, Missouri, Nevada and New York in 2024 or 2026.
The 2024 race is shaping up to be heavily focused around abortion rights, too: a Gallup poll last month found that 28% of voters insisted that the candidate who gets their vote must share their views on abortion, and a record-low number of just 14% say it’s not important at all.
Of those who place prime importance on the topic, 17% identify themselves as pro-choice (that is, supportive of abortion access) and 10% identify as pro-life (that is, opposed to abortion).
Kennedy’s campaign has been beset by scandals thanks to the candidate’s proclivity for outrageous gabs. Already controversial for his unproven views that vaccines cause autism and that chemicals in drinking water cause transgender identities, Kennedy has also drawn flak for
suggesting COVID-19 is a bioweapon deliberately engineered to spare ethnic Chinese and Ashkenazi Jews - again, a conclusion for which there is no scientific proof.
The latest
aggregate polling data compiled by FiveThirtyEight has 63.8% of Democratic voters saying they intend to vote for US President Joe Biden, while 15.2% say they intend to vote for Kennedy.
