Tulsi Gabbard is an outlier. Running in a race stacked against her, the Hawaii congresswoman is a singular figure who doesn’t fit neatly into any one ideology, not even within her own party. She’s firmly anti-war in all of its forms (including the war on drugs), suspicious of big tech, skeptical of Russia-gate, and as of this week, open to regulating abortion.
In an interview with Dave Rubin, Gabbard agreed that abortion should not be legal during the third trimester unless a medical emergency necessitated it. Though she tends to think of abortion as a “libertarian” would, she disagrees with the Democratic Party’s mantra that there should be open, easy access to abortions any time and any place.
“I think that there should be some restrictions,” she said. When asked what her “cutoff point” would be, Gabbard replied, “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.”
Gabbard’s position isn’t unusual or unpopular. In fact, 79% of Americans, regardless of whether they identify as pro-choice or pro-life, oppose late-term abortion. Among pro-choice adults, 66% oppose third-trimester abortions, according to a survey conducted by YouGov.
Most infants born in the third trimester, known as preemies, can survive with medical attention, thanks to modern medicine. And infants still in the womb during the last three months of pregnancy begin to open their eyes, practice breathing for the first time, and detect light. This is life, and it is beautiful.
Unfortunately, Gabbard seems to be one of the only Democratic presidential candidates willing to not just recognize the humanity of unborn infants, but also to do something about it. Other candidates, such as Beto O’Rourke and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, have argued women should be given the option of abortion right up until birth, while some in the Democratic Party, such as Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, have essentially endorsed infanticide. Desperate to hold onto the progressive vote, O’Rourke, Buttigieg, and the rest are holding onto an increasingly unpopular position and hoping it will be enough to push a small minority of radical voters to the polls in 2020.
Gabbard knows better. Unfortunately, her party doesn’t. It’s a shame Gabbard doesn’t have a real shot at the Democratic nomination. She might just be the only reasonable person left in the mix.
