Trump Is Back With One Of His Most Outlandish Abortion Lies
During a televised interview on Sunday, former President Donald Trump resurfaced one of his most false claims regarding abortion, stating multiple times that certain states permit doctors to “kill the baby after birth.” This claim has been proven false and can be easily debunked.
During a pre-recorded interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the ex-president and leading Republican candidate for the 2024 election repeatedly asserted his claims. Despite moderator Kristen Welker’s efforts to correct him, Trump insisted on the truth of his statements a total of eight times.
Trump emphasized that it is unacceptable to permit certain states to engage in post-birth child euthanasia.
He reiterated, “The Democrats have the ability to terminate a baby’s life after it is born.”
“He asserted that it is permissible to terminate the baby even after birth.”
None of these statements are true. It is illegal in every state to intentionally terminate the life of a newborn.
Kelly Baden, the vice president of policy for the Guttmacher Institute, stated that politicians who make false and extreme claims about abortion are prioritizing their political agenda over the well-being of actual patients and those affected by abortion bans.
“I cannot reword”
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is clear in stating that no physician would carry out what Republicans commonly call a “post-birth abortion.”
ACOG states on its website that there is no such procedure, highlighting that these claims aim to vilify both the procedure and the individuals involved in its provision and reception.
Some of Trump’s lies about abortion Sunday were even highly specific. He claimed that New York had “passed legislation where you’re allowed to kill the baby after birth” and that a former Virginia governor advocated for infanticide.
New York never passed any such legislation, and Trump’s claims that it did appear to be ripped straight from a social media hoax last year that circulated among right-wing circles.
The former Virginia governor Trump was referring to was likely Ralph Northam (D), who said in 2019 that if a mother delivers a nonviable fetus, the “infant would be kept comfortable,” and the parents would have the option to take extreme attempts at resuscitation. Republicans have long-twisted those comments, as Trump did in Sunday’s interview, and held them up as evidence of a Democrat supporting infant euthanasia.
Trump has expressed similar statements during his campaign, which has led to various fact-checks by the media. Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate, Ron DeSantis, has also recently made the same exaggerated assertion.
Fred Guttenberg, a gun reform activist whose daughter Jaime was a victim of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018, was among those who expressed strong disapproval of Trump’s remarks.
“I cannot reword”
