Democrats’ Abortion Extremism Accelerates

Democrats Have Gone To Extremes On Abortion, Calling For A Sweeping ‘Constitutional Right’ To Abortion At Any Stage Of Pregnancy

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): “… a woman has a right to decide what is her choice with her doctor before that moment before the child is born.” (“Schumer: ‘A Woman Has A Right To Decide What Is Her Choice…Before That Moment Before The Child Is Born,’” CNSNews.com, 4/9/2019)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): “Abortion is health care. When we pass Medicare for All, we will be guaranteeing a woman’s right to control her own body by covering comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion.” (Sen. Sanders, @BernieSanders, Twitter, 5/15/2019)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): “Access to safe, legal abortion is a constitutional RIGHT. Full stop.” (Sen. Warren, @ewarren, Twitter, 5/15/2019)

FORMER MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-IN): “It’s past time to end the assault on reproductive freedom in our country. As president, I will act to safeguard the constitutional right to safe and legal abortion and related care. And together, we will #StopTheBans.” (Former Mayor Buttigieg, @PeteButtigieg, Twitter, 10/29/2019)

• FORMER MAYOR BUTTIGIEG: “47 years after Roe v. Wade, the constitutional right to reproductive freedom—the access to a safe and legal abortion—is still under systemic attack. As president, I will never let a state or a jury or any politician in Washington take that right away.” (Former Mayor Buttigieg, @PeteButtigieg, Twitter, 10/29/2019)

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA): “Reproductive rights are not just protected by the Constitution of the United States but must be guaranteed in every state. This is a direct attack on women’s health.” (Sen. Harris, @KamalaHarris, Twitter, 5/28/2019)

“Presidential hopeful and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker told BuzzFeed News Wednesday that if he becomes president, he wants Congress to pass a law that would make abortion legal nationwide, no matter what the Supreme Court decides.” (“Cory Booker Vows To Make Roe V. Wade The Law Of The Land As President,” BuzzFeed News, 5/15/2019)

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): “We should codify Roe v. Wade into law. That’s what we should do.” (“Warren, Sanders, Klobuchar And Booker Talk Abortion Rights At Debate,” The New York Times, 11/21/2019)

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY): “I believe access to abortion is a constitutionally protected right, and I’m not afraid to follow through and guarantee it with the power of the federal government. With the threat level this high in so many states, I don’t think women can afford anything less.” (Sen. Gillibrand, “Why I Went To The Frontlines Of The Assault On Abortion Rights—And What I’ll Do About It,” Medium, 5/16/2019)

• SEN. GILLIBRAND: “So today I’m laying out a plan to truly go on offense to guarantee women’s civil rights. Here are the steps I’d take as president to ensure that everyone in America has access to safe, legal abortion: I will codify Roe vs. Wade into law ... I will end the Hyde Amendment… In the most sweeping step I’d take as president, I will guarantee access to reproductive healthcare — including abortion — no matter what state you live in.” (Sen. Gillibrand, “Why I Went To The Frontlines Of The Assault On Abortion Rights—And What I’ll Do About It,” Medium, 5/16/2019)

After Decades Of Support, Democrats Now Want To Repeal The Hyde Amendment, Which Prohibits Taxpayer Funding Of Abortions

‘For Years, The Hyde Amendment Represented A Rare Point Of Bipartisan Consensus On Abortion In Congress’

“For years, the Hyde Amendment represented a rare point of bipartisan consensus on abortion in Congress, with lawmakers from both parties agreeing that taxpayer money should not be used to fund abortions, with some exceptions.” (Time, 6/07/2019)

“Congress passed the first iteration of the Hyde Amendment in 1976, just a few years after Roe v. Wade, attaching it to Medicaid appropriations…. The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the amendment in 1980.” (“What Is The Hyde Amendment?,” CBS News, 6/07/2019)

• “At the time, Democrats had a wide majority in the House. More than 100 Democrats voted for the amendment when it came up for a stand-alone vote, providing more than half of the support for the addition to that year's labor and health bill. Since then, it has been baked into annual spending bills.” (“Ban On Abortion Funding Stays In House Bill As 2020 Democrats Promise Repeal,” NPR, 6/13/2019)

“[T]he amendment that restricts government funding for most abortions has been preserved by Democrats for decades — including with votes from some of the presidential hopefuls now decrying it.” (“Hyde Amendment, Abortion Debate Haunt 2020 Democrats,” The Associated Press, 6/07/2019)

But Now Leading Democrats Vow To ‘Lead The Fight’ To Repeal It

HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): “I do not think it is good public policy, and I wish we never had a Hyde Amendment, but it is the law of the land right now.” (“Ban On Abortion Funding Stays In House Bill As 2020 Democrats Promise Repeal,” NPR, 6/13/2019)

FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: “I can’t justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need and their ability to exercise their constitutionally protected right. If I believe healthcare is a right as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone’s zip code… For many years as a U.S. senator, I have supported the Hyde amendment as many, many others have because there was sufficient monies and circumstances where women were able to exercise that right, women of color, poor women, women were not able to have access, and it was not under attack … as it is now. But circumstances have changed.” (“Joe Biden Reverses Stance On Hyde Amendment,” ABC News, 6/6/2019)

“Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Wednesday the decades-old Hyde Amendment shouldn't be law … Warren has called to end the Hyde Amendment and co-sponsors legislation to overturn the ban.” (“Warren: Hyde Amendment Should Not Be American Law,” The Hill, 6/05/2019)

• “[Sen. Warren] said she ‘will lead the fight to have [the Hyde Amendment] overturned.’” (NBC’s Ali Vitali, @alivitali, Twitter, 6/05/2019)

SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WA), Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member: “[Repealing the Hyde Amendment] would help address the unacceptable reality that far too many women, particularly low-income women, young women, women of color, and those who live in rural areas, have the constitutional right to safe, legal abortion in name only—not in practice. I believe that as the Trump Administration and its allies work as hard as they can to take away access to abortion in our country and move women backward, we need to do even more to lay out our vision for ensuring every woman—regardless of how she is insured, her zip code, or her income—can make the decisions that are right for her.” (Sen. Murray, Press Release, 3/13/2019)

SEN. MAZIE HIRONO (D-HI): “All women – regardless of their income level or type of health insurance – are deserving of the fundamental right to access the health care they need, including abortion. Unfortunately, for far too many women in this country, that care is out of reach because of cost. The Hyde Amendment, like so many other barriers erected to restrict access to abortion, unequally and disproportionately affects low-income women, women of color, young women, and immigrants. Repealing the Hyde Amendment is a necessary step forward to ensuring all women can equally access their constitutionally-protected right to abortion care.” (Sen. Hirono, Press Release, 3/13/2019)

Democrats Have Passed Or Proposed Extreme Pro-Abortion Laws In States Like Virginia, New York, And Illinois, Rolling Back Any Reasonable Restrictions

GOV. RALPH NORTHAM (D-VA): “The infant would be delivered; the infant would be kept comfortable; the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desire, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother. …This is why legislators, most of whom are men, by the way, shouldn’t be telling a woman what she should and shouldn’t be doing with her body. … We want the government not to be involved in these types of decisions.” (“Virginia Gov. Northam On Road Projects, Teacher Pay, Shutdown Impact, More,” WTOP, 1/30/2019)

• “Northam said the controversy regarding made by Del. Kathy Tran on her late-term abortion bill was ‘overblown.’ Tran acknowledged during a hearing that her bill would allow abortions up until moments before birth.” (“Virginia Gov. Northam On Road Projects, Teacher Pay, Shutdown Impact, More,” WTOP, 1/30/2019)

“As states across the US pass laws restricting access to abortion, Illinois passed legislation declaring a pregnant person has a ‘fundamental right’ to terminate their pregnancy and stating that a ‘fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights.’ The new legislation, passed Friday, repeals a 1975 state law that required spousal consent, waiting periods, placed restrictions on abortion facilities, and outlined procedures for pursuing criminal charges against abortion providers. The bill also rolls back some state restrictions on late-term abortions by repealing Illinois’ Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Chicago Tribune reported. Many provisions in the two newly negated laws had not been enforced due to court injunctions, according to the paper.” (“Illinois Affirms The “Fundamental Right” To Abortion By Passing A New Bill,” Vox, 6/1/2019)

“New York state enacted one of the nation’s strongest protections for abortion rights Tuesday, a move that state leaders say was needed to safeguard those rights should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade… Known as the Reproductive Health Act, the measure replaces a 1970 state abortion law that was passed three years before Roe legalized abortion nationwide. It codifies many abortion rights laid out in Roe and other court rulings, including a provision permitting late-term abortions when a woman’s health is endangered. The previous law, which was in conflict with Roe and other subsequent abortion rulings, only permitted abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy if a woman’s life was at risk.” (“NY Enacts New Protections For Abortion Rights,” The Associated Press, 1/22/2019)

• “The One World Trade Center was lit pink at the direction of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday night in celebration of the state legislature passing the Reproductive Health Act, which expands abortion rights in the state. ‘The Reproductive Health Act is a historic victory for New Yorkers and for our progressive values,’ the governor said in a statement. ‘In the face of a federal government intent on rolling back Roe v. Wade and women’s reproductive rights, I promised that we would enact this critical legislation within the first 30 days of the new session — and we got it done,’ he said. ‘I am directing that New York’s landmarks be lit in pink to celebrate this achievement and shine a bright light forward for the rest of the nation to follow.’” (“One World Trade Center Lit Pink In Celebration Of New York Abortion Law,” Washington Times, 1/23/2019)