Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is winning praise on social media after comments he made about abortion in 2019 have resurfaced. The Democrat has recently been in the spotlight after appearances on Fox News.
Buttigieg participated in a Fox News town hall event on May 19, 2019 hosted by the network's Chris Wallace. Wallace pressed the then Democratic presidential hopeful on recently passed laws in Alabama, Georgia and Ohio that restricted access to abortion.
"Do you believe, at any point in pregnancy, that there should be any limit on a woman's right to an abortion?" Wallace asked.
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"I think the dialogue has gotten so caught up on when you draw the line that we've gotten away from the fundamental question of who gets to draw the line," Buttigieg said.
"And I trust women to draw the line."
Wallace pointed to late term abortions and asked Buttigieg what his position was in back-and-forth.
"You would be okay with a woman well into the third trimester to obtain an abortion?" Wallace asked.
"These hypotheticals are set up to provoke a strong emotional reaction," Buttigieg said.
"These aren't hypotheticals — there are 6,000 women a year who get an abortion in the third trimester," Wallace said.
"That's right, representing less than one percent of cases a year," Buttigieg replied. The data from 2019 appears to support his claim, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
"So, let's put ourselves in the shoes of a woman in that situation. If it's that late in your pregnancy, that means almost by definition you've been expecting to carry it to term," he went on.
"We're talking about women who have perhaps chosen the name, women who have purchased the crib, families that then get the most devastating medical news of their lifetime, something about the health or the life of the mother that forces them to make an impossible, unthinkable choice."
"That decision is not going to be made any better, medically or morally, because the government is dictating how that decision should be made," he said.
The comments have resurfaced on social media, with some Twitter users praising Buttigieg and sharing a partial transcript of the 2019 town hall. One tweet featuring the exchange was retweeted nearly 30 thousand times. The remarks were later shared by actor Meredith Salenger, a critic of the president, whose tweet racked up nearly 12 thousand shares.
Some users shared a video clip of the comments. One tweet featuring the video was shared more than 170 times, while a later tweet has been shared almost 300 times. The transcript has proven more popular then the video so far, however.
Abortion has become an issue in the 2020 presidential election. Abortion rights advocates are concerned that President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett could deliver the crucial vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark 1973 ruling on abortion rights.
During the vice presidential debate, Vice President Mike Pence did not directly say he wanted to see Roe v. Wade overturned if Coney Barrett is confirmed. However, he has publicly called for its reversal in the past.
This article has been updated to include more information about the social media response.
Barabasbanana on October 12nd, 2020 at 12:51 UTC »
A friend went through exactly this issue, I can't remember the diagnosis, but the third trimester showed such serious abnormalities she was distressed beyond belief, he died in her womb days before the procedure and lost the ability to have any more children. She wanted that child so much, she celebrates his birthday ten years later. Those 6,000 late term abortions are not political talking points, each and every one is a tragedy.
ZigZagZedZod on October 12nd, 2020 at 12:51 UTC »
Here's the key passage:
redwineandbeer on October 12nd, 2020 at 12:46 UTC »
A woman doesn’t just choose to have a late term abortion. It’s not like she’s saying “nah, I change my mind”
For the overwhelmingly majority of these women they planned on delivering this child. Something has happened to prevent this. Usually the mother’s life is on the line
It’s a horrible decision.
And when people scream “god’s will” they overlook all the things we do to interfere with god’s will from the medication we take to the surgeries that we do