CNN This Morning co-host Poppy Harlow and political director David Chalian came running to Democrats’ defense on Friday against accusations that they are the true radicals on abortion.
After a discussion on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and that state’s new six-week ban, fellow co-host Don Lemon turned to another potential 2024 contender, “You know this exploratory committee that Tim Scott has launched. He announced that he formed this committee, that was earlier this week. But he has been really struggling to kind of define his message and his platform on abortion in interviews, finally saying this to a local reporter, this is in New Hampshire on Thursday. Watch this.”
The video showed Scott declaring, “I think states have to solve that problem on their own though. The big problem that we see today is that-- are Democrats want to make this a federal issue of having abortions into the third trimester? That is something that puts us in the company of China and North Korea. We cannot go there, so we have to have a federal limit on how far we can go. And that is something that we have to discuss.”
Harlow objected to Scott’s portrayal of Democrats, “I'm just, David, I was just pointing out that that is not the position of most Democratic lawmakers that abortion can be until the end of a pregnancy. Just a point of fact there, Roe v. Wade was 24, 26 weeks.”
Chalian agreed, “Exactly, and most Democrats say, let's go back to what Roe v. Wade had in place.”
In 2019, the New York Times reported on their survey of Democratic presidential candidates, “Every candidate The Times surveyed supports codifying Roe v. Wade in federal law, allowing Medicaid coverage of abortion by repealing the Hyde Amendment, and removing funding restrictions for organizations that provide abortion referrals… Very few support restrictions on abortions late in pregnancy.”
In 2020, their party platform was noticeably vague, “Democrats oppose restrictions on medication abortion care that are inconsistent with the most recent medical and scientific evidence and that do not protect public health.”
More recently, their 2022 legislative attempt to codify Roe was written in such a way that would go beyond Roe. If Democrats truly support restrictions, journalists should demand their legislation and public remarks should specify what those restrictions are.
This segment was sponsored by Cadillac.
Here is a transcript for the April 14 show:
CNN This Morning
4/14/2023
7:14 AM ET
DON LEMON: Well, can we talk about another one of the potential contenders, right? You know this exploratory committee that Tim Scott has launched. He announced that he formed this committee, that was earlier this week. But he has been really struggling to kind of define his message and his platform on abortion in interviews, finally saying this to a local reporter, this is in New Hampshire on Thursday. Watch this.
TIM SCOTT: I think states have to solve that problem on their own though. The big problem that we see today is that-- are Democrats want to make this a federal issue of having abortions into the third trimester? That is something that puts us in the company of China and North Korea. We cannot go there, so we have to have a federal limit on how far we can go. And that is something that we have to discuss.
ADAM SEXTON: So, if that 20-week ban reached your desk. Would you sign it?
SCOTT: Twenty-week ban, definitely.
LEMON: Poppy sitting here saying—
POPPY HARLOW: No, I'm just, David, I was just pointing out that that is not the position of most Democratic lawmakers that abortion can be until the end of a pregnancy. Just a point of fact there, Roe v. Wade was 24, 26 weeks.
DAVID CHALIAN: Exactly, and most Democrats say, let's go back to what Roe v. Wade--
HARLOW: Yeah.
CHALIAN: -- had in place. You noticed Tim Scott's support of a 20 week ban there. His fellow senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham, has introduced legislation for a federal national 15-week ban, he is not yet fully gotten on board with that, though he says he is proudly and 100 percent pro-life when he is out on the campaign trail.
