Video: Jen Psaki Explains, “This [Republican] claim that Democrats support abortion up until the moment of birth is entirely misleading.”

You’ve undoubtedly heard, probably MANY times, Republicans (falsely) imply and/or outright claim that Democrats/liberals/progressives support “abortion up until birth,” etc. You’ve also undoubtedly heard right wingers distort and lie about the facts regarding abortions in America. Of course, all their lies and distortions don’t change the reality or the facts, but of course their goal is simply to confuse people, to demonize abortion, to distract voters from Republicans’ out-of-the-mainstream views on banning abortion, etc. Unfortunately, Democrats and the media haven’t really pushed back, let alone effectively, against this deluge of disinformation.  Which is why it’s great to see Jen Psaki so clearly and methodically demolish the anti-reproductive-freedom folks’ nonsense. Check out the video, below, as well as highlights, including:

• “‘No one supports abortion up until birth‘. I wrote that because there is a pervasive and misleading talking point that is used by a number of right-wing leaders…suggesting that Democrats are advocating for and even rooting for late-term abortions of babies who could live outside the womb.”
• “This is a talking point Republican presidential candidates use repeatedly on the trail…”
• “This claim that Democrats support abortion up until the moment of birth is entirely misleading.  First of all, abortions past the point of fetal viability do not happen often; they are incredibly rare. And those that do happen involve agonizing emotional and ethical decisions. According to the CDC, the vast majority of abortions in the United States – over 80% in 2020 – happen before 10 weeks of pregnancy. And over 90% take place in the first 12 weeks. Less than 1% – 1%! – happen after 21 weeks of pregnancy.”
• “In Virginia, since 2000, an abortion after 28 weeks has been performed only in 3 of the last 22 years.”
• “This does not happen often, and when it does, you can see how painful this really is through personal stories…virtually all women seeking a late-term abortion are *devastated* by the prospect…grief-stricken...Mothers have described in heart-wrenching detail having to make the decision to end their pregnancy to save their own life or because they were told the baby they were so excited for would not survive or would suffer. Are most Democrats in favor of legislation that allows for this? Yes! For all the reasons I just outlined…”
• “No one is *rooting* for late-term abortions. No one is running on the platform of aborting viable babies. No one is selling late-term abortions as Ron DeSantis claims. No one. Not Joe Biden, not Kamala Harris, not Hillary Clinton, not Nancy Pelosi or any other politician demonized by the right wing roots for more late-term abortions. None of them do.”
• “What is happening here is an attempt by Republican presidential candidates and other leaders who know their views on women’s healthcare are out of touch with the public, they’re trying to change the parameters of the debate…by inaccurately describing the positions of leaders on the other side.”
• “Abortions in later stages of pregnancy are extremely rare, and they’re almost always the result of a devastating choice to save the life of the mother or because the baby that a couple desperately wanted cannot survive outside the womb.”
• “Those choices should not be made by any politician…They should be made by the woman carrying the baby and by her doctor. That is what Democrats are trying to protect. This is not politics, this is healthcare.”

So this is all accurate, factual information. But if you listen to Republicans and/or the right-wing echo chamber, you’ll get a totally different narrative, one that’s completely detached from reality and based on distortions, lies, etc.  And it’s not just some fringe wackos on social media or far-right radio repeating this crap; it’s high-ranking Republicans right here in Virginia. For instance:

• In the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial campaign, Glenn Youngkin unleashed this whopper: “My Democratic opponent, Terry McAuliffe, supports abortion on-demand, up until the moment of birth, paid for by the taxpayers.” He also stated, “we got to stop allowing abortions all the way up until the last week before birth.”
• Also in 2021, Winsome Sears stated on her website, “late-term abortion and infanticide (killing of the baby after birth) is also murder. What is happening at the hands of Democrat lawmakers (like our Governor) across this country is wicked; therefore, I will do everything in my power to stop this act from taking place in Virginia.”
• And, of course, leading Virginia Republicans went bonkers after then-Gov. Ralph Northam attempted to explain what happens in cases “where there may be severe deformities…[or] a fetus that’s non viable,” twisting that into Northam supposedly rooting for “infanticide,” which of course is completely false and couldn’t be further from the truth.
• Oh, and of course Donald Trump even repeated this lie in his State of the Union address in 2019, outrageously/irresponsibly/falsely claiming that “we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth.”

So again, these lies aren’t just being pushed by a lunatic fringe on the far right, but by leading Republicans from Trump on down…and including Youngkin, Sears, etc. here in Virginia. It’s truly disgusting, and should be rejected by every voter in every election. With that, here’s the video of Jen Psaki demolishing these Republican lies.

The argument that Democrats are advocating for more late term abortions is completely misleading. I explain with lots of FACTS today… https://t.co/JFe4ARSF0V

— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) August 27, 2023