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Only two Democrats willing to utter the “A” word (abortion) at last night’s debate

Oct 16, 2019

By Dave Andrusko

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Emma Green is an outstanding writer for The Atlantic. While I don’t always agree with her takes, Ms. Green customarily makes her case with facts, insights, and a willingness to call a spade a spade.

So after last night’s debate (which we discussed here), I wasn’t surprised that the headline for Green’s post this morning was “Just Don’t Call It Abortion”: The 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have gone further in embracing abortion rights than ever before. But they still hide behind euphemism.”

To be clear, Green notes that pro-abortion Sen. Elizabeth Warren actually used the “A” word as did Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. For whatever it’s worth, Gabbard is the lone Democrat to at least pretend there ought to be a limitation in the third trimester, a position shared by the overwhelming majority of Americans.

Ironically, Gabbard began by saying “I agree with Hillary Clinton on one thing, disagree with her on many others, but when she said abortion should be safe, legal, and rare, I think she’s correct.” Green, to her credit, keenly observes, “As a presidential candidate, of course, Hillary Clinton effectively reversed this position, all but embracing abortion up until the end of pregnancy.”

What about the others who responded? “Their answers were largely the same: They will pass laws that protect the right to abortion, above and beyond the principles the Supreme Court laid out in Roe v. Wade. They will intervene in southern states,” Green wrote. “They will push back against President Donald Trump’s anti-abortion policies. They will, in other words, act as steadfast defenders of abortion rights. They just can’t, or won’t, use the word abortion.”

Something I didn’t mention in my post was something else former Vice President Joe Biden said, beyond bragging that he had “defeated” the nomination of Judge Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. Green explained

“Biden also vowed to campaign against legislators in states such as Ohio and Alabama, which have passed restrictive abortion laws. ‘Reproductive rights are a constitutional right, and, in fact, every woman should have that right,” he said. Notably missing from his impassioned answer, however, was the word abortion. Other candidates’ answers followed directly in this spirit, diverging little on matters of policy.

Biden, who folded like a cheap suitcase when activists criticized his support for the Hyde Amendment, “reaffirmed his new stance” at last night’s debate in Ohio, Green wrote. Let’s “codify Roe” and expunge every pro-life protective law passed anywhere in the United States.

If you have a chance, take a moment to read my post where you will read more about the enthusiastic support for abortion (“reproductive rights”) voiced by Sens. Harris and Booker.

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