Presidential contender Beto O’Rourke said he believes the decision to have a third-trimester abortion should be up to women, and not men or the government.
The 46-year-old Texas Democrat was speaking at the College of Charleston as part of the school’s “Bully Pulpit” series, and was asked a question by a man in the audience about third-trimester abortions.
“My question is this: I was born Sept. 8th, 1989, and I want to know if you think on Sept. 7th, 1989, my life had no value,” the man inquired, referencing a previous response the former congressman had given in Ohio on the matter.
“Of course I don’t think that. And of course I’m glad that you’re here. But you referenced my answer in Ohio, and it remains the same. This is a decision that neither you, nor I, nor the United States government should be making,” O’Rourke said. “That’s a decision for the woman to make.”
When O’Rourke was in Cleveland, Ohio, in March he was asked specifically if he supported third-trimester abortions where there was fetal viability and the child could be removed by cesarean section.
“So, the question is about abortion and reproductive rights. And my answer to you is that that should be a decision that the woman makes about her body. I trust her,” O’Rourke told the crowd to applause.
On Tuesday, O’Rourke posted a video of the interation to his Twitter account with the caption, “No matter how you ask the question, my answer will be the same: The decision of whether or not to get an abortion is one neither I nor the United States government should be making. That’s a decision for the woman to make.”
No matter how you ask the question, my answer will be the same: The decision of whether or not to get an abortion is one neither I nor the United States government should be making. That’s a decision for the woman to make. pic.twitter.com/0AcwfGQ1dr
— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) August 27, 2019
O’Rourke served in Congress from 2013 to 2019 and had a 100% voting record from NARAL, a national abortion rights group. Late-term abortion has been in the dialogue after Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam was attacked by President Trump and others after controversial comments regarding state legislation supporting the procedure.
