2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard came out against third-trimester abortions unless the mother’s life is endangered.
The Hawaii congresswoman discussed the issue of abortion during her interview with Dave Rubin on The Rubin Report, which aired Sunday night.
“I take a more libertarian position on this issue that government really shouldn’t be in that place of dictating to a woman the choice that she should make,” Gabbard began. “I think there should be some restrictions, though.
“For me personally, I would not make that choice for myself, but I don’t believe that I should be telling anybody else the kinds of decisions that they should make for themselves or their family and therefore a woman should have the right to choose and I will stand up and fight to protect her right to do so.”
She continued, “I think the third trimester, unless a woman’s life or severe health consequences is at risk, then there shouldn’t be an abortion in the third trimester.”
Both Rubin and Gabbard, who started her political career as pro-life, noted that the abortion debate is framed around the concepts that “Republicans hate women and Democrats hate babies.”
Her stance against third trimester abortions sets hers apart from her presidential candidate challengers. While candidates like former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg have refused to say abortions should be banned at any time until the moment of birth, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar did say “limits” on abortions in the third trimester “are very important.”
2020 front-runner Joe Biden has also faced criticism for stating his support for the Hyde Amendment, which blocks federal funding for certain abortions, but then backtracked on it.
The issue of legal abortions during the third trimester gained notoriety in recent months as states have passed more restrictive legislation pertaining to abortion rights.
[Read more: Tulsi Gabbard laments rivals speaking Spanish in debates and calls identity politics ‘a real danger’]
