saki repeats claim that Democrats don't support late term abortion after critics labeled it 'false'
MSNBC host and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki took aim at pro-life GOP contenders on her show over the weekend, calling their claim about Democrats and late term abortion 'entirely misleading.'
Former White House spokesperson Jen Psaki doubled down on her claim that Democrats do not support abortion up until birth on Sunday, dismissing the GOP accusation as "misleading" despite taking heat for a similar comment days earlier.
In her monologue on her MSNBC show on Sunday, the "Inside with Jen Psaki" host took aim at pro-life Republican candidates who accused Democrats of supporting late-term abortions during the first GOP primary debate last Wednesday.
"This claim that Democrats support abortion up until the moment of birth is entirely misleading. First of all, abortions past the point of fetal viability do not happen often. They are incredibly rare. And those that do happen involve agonizing, emotional, and ethical decisions," Psaki said.
Jen Psaki caused a firestorm of controversy on Twitter when she claimed that there is no support for abortion up until birth. (Sonogram photo by: BSIP/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) / (Jen Psaki photo by Amy E. Price/Getty Images for SXSW) ((Ultrasound photo by: BSIP/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) / (Jen Psaki photo by Amy E. Price/Getty Images for SXSW))
Psaki landed herself in hot water last week for claiming that Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis was wrong when he accused Democrats of supporting abortions "all the way up to birth" during a discussion on abortion policy.
Psaki responded to the pro-life Republican candidate on X, formerly known as Twitter, insisting that, "No one supports abortion up until birth."
Her claim was immediately labeled "false" by conservatives online, who reminded the MSNBC host that many Democrats in Congress do not support any restrictions on abortion and have pushed legislation supporting late-term abortions.
Still, Psaki stood by the claim on her show Sunday, reiterating that ""No one is rooting for late-term abortions."
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"No one is running on the platform of aborting viable babies," the former Biden press secretary told her audience. "No one is selling late-term abortions as Ron DeSantis claims. No one. Not Joe Biden, not Kamala Harris, not Hillary Clinton, not Nancy Pelosi, or any other politician demonized by the right-wing, roots for more late-term abortions. None of them do."
Psaki then asked whether DeSantis and other pro-life GOP candidates are "in favor of a mother dying as a result of her pregnancy?"
"If a doctor determines a baby can not survive outside of the womb should a mother be required to carry that baby to term? And those choices should not be made by any politician or any legislature."
"They should be made by the woman carrying the baby and by her doctor. That is what Democrats are trying to protect. That is not politics. That is healthcare," she said.
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Abortion rights adovcates gather in front of the J Marvin Jones Federal Building and Courthouse in Amarillo, Texas, on March 15, 2023. - US abortion opponents are hoping for a national ban on a widely used abortion pill when their lawsuit against government drug regulators is argued Wednesday in the Texas court of a deeply conservative judge believed to be sympathetic to their cause. Galvanized after the US Supreme Court ended the nationwide right to abortion last June, anti-abortion forces are now targeting the prescription drug mifepristone in their campaign to win a total ban on the practice. (MOISES AVILA/AFP via Getty Images)
Washington Post chief fact-checker Glenn Kessler similarly dismissed DeSantis’ abortion line as a "common Republican talking point" and argued that it was the wrong characterization of Democrat policies. However, Kessler did not deny that Democrats have advocated policies that allow for the procedure, arguing instead that late-term abortions are rare.
He argued DeSantis was implying Democrat support making these abortions common.
Fox News’ Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
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