Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed throughout Tuesday night time’s presidential debate that Vice President Kamala Harris’ operating mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, helps the “execution” of infants after they’re born, repeating earlier false assertions that Democrats help killing infants.
The Republican nominee made the declare when ABC moderator Linsey Davis requested why he modified his place to help Florida’s six-week abortion ban.
“Her vice presidential choose says abortion within the ninth month is completely advantageous. He additionally says execution after start — it is execution, not abortion, as a result of the infant is born — is OK,” Trump mentioned.
Infanticide is unlawful in each state, and Harris and Walz have by no means supported it. This is what we all know in regards to the declare and the place Harris and Walz stand on abortion.
A historical past of false claims
Trump has a historical past of falsely claiming that Democrats help killing infants after start. At a latest rally in Charlotte, Trump mentioned Harris helps abortion “proper up till start, and even after start.”
Through the debate, Trump repeated an analogous declare and referenced, at totally different factors, the “former governor of Virginia” and the “former governor of West Virginia,” who, Trump asserted, “mentioned we put the infant apart after which we decide what we wish to do with the infant.”
Trump gave the impression to be speaking about former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat and a doctor, who gave a 2019 radio interview wherein he mentioned a hypothetical situation wherein a fetus has extreme deformities or is just not viable outdoors the womb. In such a case, Northam mentioned, “the toddler could be delivered, the toddler could be saved snug, the toddler could be resuscitated if that is what the mom and the household desired.”
The feedback sparked fierce backlash from Republicans, together with then-chairwoman of the Republican Nationwide Committee, Ronna McDaniel, who accused Northam of supporting “born-alive abortions.” In response, Northam mentioned, “I’ve devoted my life to caring for kids and any insinuation in any other case is shameful and disgusting.”
Walz and Harris on abortion
Vice President Harris has supported restoring the requirements of Roe v. Wade, which protected the suitable to an abortion till the fetus reaches viability outdoors the womb, usually at round six months of gestation. The Biden-Harris administration endorsed the Girls’s Well being Safety Act of 2022, which might have prevented states from banning abortions earlier than viability or requiring extra exams or ready intervals, although the laws didn’t move the Senate.
In latest interviews on “Face the Nation,” each Harris and Walz declined to provide specifics about how far right into a being pregnant they imagine abortions must be permitted.
Requested about it in the course of the debate, Harris mentioned: “I completely help reinstating the protections of Roe v. Wade. And as you rightly talked about, nowhere in America is a lady carrying a being pregnant to time period and asking for an abortion. That’s not taking place.”
As governor, Walz signed the Defend Reproductive Choices Act (PRO Act) in 2023, codifying abortion entry in Minnesota. It is one of many few states within the nation that doesn’t prohibit abortions previous the stage of viability.
In accordance with the CDC‘s most up-to-date information, lower than 1% of abortions nationally happen previous 20 weeks of being pregnant. In Minnesota, information from the state Division of Well being confirmed that in 2022, solely two abortions occurred between 25 and 30 weeks and none after 30 weeks. Late-term abortions usually happen to save lots of the mom’s life or when households are dealing with conditions the place the fetus is unlikely to outlive lengthy after start.
Trump on abortion
All through his marketing campaign, Trump has highlighted his appointment of three conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court docket, which led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the tip of the constitutional proper to abortion.
As president, Trump supported laws that included a federal 20-week ban on abortion, with some exceptions. Nonetheless, in the course of the 2024 presidential marketing campaign, Trump has instructed reporters he wouldn’t signal a federal ban and mentioned every state ought to be capable of prohibit abortion as they select.
Trump mentioned on Aug. 30 that he’ll vote to uphold Florida’s six-week abortion ban. His assertion on that got here only a day after he criticized the legislation in an interview and confronted blowback from abortion opponents.
Florida has a proposition on the November poll to guard abortion rights earlier than fetal viability within the state. It is considered one of 10 states the place the problem of abortion might be on the poll.