One of the more remarkable moments of Tuesday night’s CNN/New York Times Democratic Presidential Debate is that U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, said she believes there should be some restrictions on abortion.
She even harkened back to Hillary Clinton’s comment that abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare,” a statement that the left’s reproductive rights orthodoxy no longer allows as they push for taxpayer-funded abortion at any stage of pregnancy and for any reason, and oppose any safety regulation they believe burdens abortion clinics. Compared to the rest of the field, Gabbard looked pro-life in comparison.
She’s not, but she represents at least some moderation from the left on this issue. What’s disappointing is that debate moderators refuse to ask the candidates what limits on abortion they support. Which makes Gabbard’s statement even more remarkable, she gave an answer to a question she wasn’t asked.
Here is the transcript:
Often one of the most difficult decisions that a woman will ever have to make, and it is unfortunate to see in this country for how long been used as a divisive, political weapon.
I agree with Hillary Clinton on one thing, disagree with her on many others, but she said abortion should be ‘safe, legal, and rare.’ I think she is correct. We see how consequences of laws that you are referring to can often lead to a dangerous place as we have seen them as they are passed in other countries where a woman who has a miscarriage past that six weeks could be imprisoned because abortion would be illegal at that point.
I do, however, think that there should be some restrictions in place. I support codifying Roe v. Wade while making sure that during the third trimester abortion is not an option unless the life or serve health consequences of a woman are at risk.
Listen:
I, obviously, disagree that Roe v. Wade should be codified. I also don’t believe that abortion should only be restricted in the third trimester. That said, beyond U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., you will be hard pressed to find any Democrat at the federal level even agree to that.
