Former White House spokesperson Jen Psaki stirred a hornet’s nest after suggesting “no one” supports abortion through birth during Wednesday’s first Republican primary debate on Fox News. The response was swift and outspoken, with many calling Psaki’s statement false.
Psaki was responding to pro-life Republican presidential hopefuls, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who shared his personal experience of the “impactful moment” of hearing his daughter’s heartbeat during a pregnancy scan. DeSantis was one of many former presidential candidates advocating for a “culture of life” and deriding Democrats for their willingness to allow abortion “up until the moment of birth.”
Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley pressed the media to ask current President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris if they support any limits on abortion. “Are they for 38 weeks? Are they for 39 weeks? Are they for 40 weeks?”
But Psaki jumped in, writing on social media platform X, “No one supports abortion up until birth.”
Psaki’s statement was quickly met with a wide range of reactions. Townhall web editor Rebecca Downs replied, “AYFKM? You worked for the man who does!” – a clear reference to 46 Democrat Senators voting for a bill earlier this year that would allow for abortion any time, for any reason, up until the moment of birth.
“Untrue,” Conservative commentator Kimberly Morin argued. “Many Democrats do and you scream if anyone in the U.S. wants to ban late-term abortion and get with the rest of the civilized world with abortion limits.”
The Spectator contributing editor Stephen L. Miller weighed in, simply stating: “This is false.”
“Every single Democrat in the U.S. Senate (but one) voted for a bill that would allow abortion… any time, for any reason, up until the moment of birth… and they wanted you to pay for it,” Center for Election Integrity J. Hogan Gidley noted.
Many commenters challenged Psaki to explain where she draws the line – an inquiry echoed by Ed Morrissey, the managing editor for conservative blog Hot Air, who asked, “Please explain at what week of gestation you would support an abortion ban.”
Despite Psaki’s claim, the abortion debate still rages on, with both sides claiming their stance is in the best interests of protecting life. At the end of the day, though, only Jen Psaki knows what her true stance on the issue is – and whether it is echoed by her former boss, the current President of the United States.
