RFK Jr. supports a Woman’s Right to choose based on the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court Decision.
Kennedy Clarifies Position on Abortion
DES MOINES, IOWA—AUG. 13, 2023—Today, Mr. Kennedy misunderstood a question posed to him by an NBC reporter in a crowded, noisy exhibit hall at the Iowa State Fair.
Mr. Kennedy’s position on abortion is that it is always the woman’s right to choose. He does not support legislation banning abortion.
[MEK Note: I wish this statement was more exact as based on previous statements even the one that corporate media is using to distort and smear RFK Jr. he appears to support the Roe vs. Wade decision of 1973. RFK Jr. is from a strong Catholic Church background yet he has been courageous in supporting a woman’s right to abortion despite the Catholic Church dogma!]
https://www.kennedy24.com/kennedy_clarifies_position_abortion
Roe v. Wade
On Jan 22, 1973, the Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, struck down the Texas law banning abortion, effectively legalizing the procedure nationwide. In a majority opinion written by Justice Harry Blackmun, the court declared that a woman’s right to an abortion was implicit in the right to privacy protected by the 14th Amendment.
The court divided pregnancy into three trimesters, and declared that the choice to end a pregnancy in the first trimester was solely up to the woman. In the second trimester, the government could regulate abortion, although not ban it, in order to protect the mother’s health.
In the third trimester, the state could prohibit abortion to protect a fetus that could survive on its own outside the womb, except when a woman’s health was in danger.
https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/roe-v-wade
What RFK Jr. Actual Position
Speaking with Ali Vitali of NBC News, Kennedy originally insisted that the “decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life.” Asked to clarify whether that constituted a 15-week abortion ban, Kennedy answered clearly: “Yes.”
“Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting that child,” RFK Jr. said. “I’m for medical freedom. Individuals ought to be able to make their own choices.”
RFK Jr.’s comments marked a significant shift [MEK Note: there was no Shift in his position, just deliberate media distortion of it] from his earlier pronouncements about abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last year. “I’m not going be in a position, put myself in a position, where I am going to tell a woman to bring a child to term,” he told a crowd during a New Hampshire town hall discussion in June. https://www.nationalreview.com/news/rfk-jr-walks-back-support-for-15-week-abortion-ban-following-pro-life-org-endorsement/
Late Monday afternoon, Kennedy told The Post in a signed statement that “I am a firm supporter of the principles laid out 50 years ago in Roe v. Wade.
For Constitutional and moral reasons, I believe the decision on whether to continue a pregnancy should be up to the mother,” he added. “If the courts do not overturn Dobbs v. Jackson and restore abortion rights, I will support legislation to accomplish the same. Body sovereignty must be protected.” https://nypost.com/2023/08/14/rfk-jr-backpedals-on-support-for-abortion-ban-after-three-months/
RFK Jr.’s past and his Catholic faith show traces of pro-life sentiment, but his campaign has made clear that the medical freedom activist is in line with the party’s pro-abortion stance. https://americanprolifer.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr-supports-abortion/
Ever since announcing his long-shot bid for the Democrat presidential nomination, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has received interest from pro-lifers due to his steadfast opposition to the COVID-19 vaccines and medical authoritarianism more broadly. But in remarks last week, he confirmed that he shares the pro-abortion stance of both his party and his famous family. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/rfk-jr-declares-he-would-keep-government-away-from-banning-abortion-as-president/
RFK Jr. says he is pro-choice, calls every abortion ‘a tragedy’ | Conversation with the Candidate https://news.yahoo.com/rfk-jr-says-pro-choice-233632074.html
“The only thing I can say to you on that issue is that I’m pro-choice,” Kennedy said when asked for a reason why pro-life voters should support him. “I don’t think there’s anybody in this country who’s worked harder for medical freedom, for bodily autonomy than me.” https://www.lifenews.com/2023/06/21/robert-kennedy-says-he-supports-abortion-calls-killing-babies-bodily-autonomy/
RFK Jr.’s Controversial Full Interview here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/news/%E2%80%98we%E2%80%99re-living-in-a-weird-period-of-history%E2%80%99-full-rfk-jr-interview/vi-AA1fgR2s?t=1 [MEK Note: The reporter used the word Ban, but RFK Jr. explanation was it was a women’s choice the first trimester and his idea of “banning” was once the embryo was viable outside of the women. RFK Jr. was just confused for the moment on how many months before that occurred. His position even in the interview is the same as Roe vs. Wade. Also, when you listen to the full interview on many topics, you will know why I support RFK Jr. 150% in the 2024 Presidential election]
Corporate Media Smear Campaign.
[MEK Note: Rather than article headlines meant to smear RFK Jr. among voters, how about a more accurate headline “RFK Jr. clarifies his long held support of Roe vs Wade 1973 Supreme Court Decision. RFK Jr. as President would sign any bill overturning the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court Decision”]
National Review – RFK Jr. Walks Back Support for 15-Week Abortion Ban following Pro-Life Org Support https://www.nationalreview.com/news/rfk-jr-walks-back-support-for-15-week-abortion-ban-following-pro-life-org-endorsement/
NY Post – RFK Jr. backs, then backs off, support for three-month abortion ban https://nypost.com/2023/08/14/rfk-jr-backpedals-on-support-for-abortion-ban-after-three-months/
The Hill – RFK Jr.’s abortion remarks spark fresh Democratic outrage https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/rfk-jr-s-abortion-remarks-spark-fresh-democratic-outrage/ar-AA1fihkx
NBC News – RFK Jr. says he’d sign a federal abortion ban at 3 months of pregnancy, then reverses course https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/rfk-jr-says-sign-federal-ban-abortions-three-months-pregnancy-rcna99689
NY Times – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Backtracks on Support for Federal Abortion Ban https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/us/politics/rfk-jr-abortion-ban.html
CNN – RFK Jr.’s campaign tries to walk back his support of three-month federal abortion ban https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/13/politics/rfk-jr-abortion-ban-iowa/index.html
Politico – RFK Jr. backs 15-week federal ban on abortion, then reverses himself https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/13/rfk-jr-backs-15-week-federal-ban-on-abortion-00111017
NY Magazine – RFK Jr. Executes Rare Double Flip-Flop on Abortion https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/08/rfk-jr-executes-rare-double-flip-flop-on-abortion.html
Rolling Stone – RFK Jr. Says He’d Sign a Federal Abortion Ban — Then Reverses Course https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/robert-f-kennedy-jr-federal-abortions-ban-after-three-months-pregnancy-1234806333/
Biden’s Actions that Contributed to the Supreme Court ability to overturn Roe vs. Wade
Clarence Thomas
The claims about whether Biden helped install Thomas to the Supreme Court appear to be referencing the current U.S. president’s handling of the Anita Hill sexual harassment Senate hearing more than 30 years ago.
Hill, now a professor of social policy, law, and women’s, gender and sexuality studies at Brandeis University, appeared before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in 1991, chaired by Biden, who was then-Democratic Senator for Delaware, to present allegations that Thomas had sexually harassed her.
Hill told the committee in grueling detail about her alleged experience, claiming that Thomas “spoke about acts that he had seen in pornographic films involving such matters as women having sex with animals and films showing group sex or rape scenes.”
As chair of the committee, Biden was criticized by some for supposedly losing control of the hearing, namely by refusing to call three other witnesses who reportedly had their own sexual harassment complaints about Thomas.
Despite Hill’s testimony, Thomas was confirmed shortly after a hearing by a narrow 52-48 margin. However, while Biden is still scrutinized for his role in Hill’s hearing (which, had it been handled differently, arguably could have damaged Thomas’ prospects) it is a matter of a public record that Biden voted against Thomas’ confirmation. https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-did-joe-biden-ensure-clarence-thomas-joined-supreme-court-1720275
The last Supreme Court nominee to come from a President whose party didn’t control the Senate was Clarence Thomas in 1991, who was nominated by President George H.W. Bush. The Democrats had 55 seats in the Senate, compared with the Republicans’ 45 seats, and it took 11 Democrats swinging their votes to Thomas for his successful nomination. https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/presidents-vs-opposing-senates-in-supreme-court-nominations
In 1991, Joe Biden Was Skeptical Clarence Thomas Would Be Extreme On Abortion. Abortion rights advocates warned senators that putting Thomas on the Supreme Court would be a disaster for women’s rights. Biden was less convinced.
“The record shows that if confirmed, Judge Thomas would indeed vote to take away this fundamental right [to abortion], to take this nation back to the days when women had no alternative but the back alleys for health care,” said Kate Michelman, the director of the National Abortion Rights Action League.
Michelman and other reproductive rights advocates faced skepticism, however, from someone who could have been a key ally: Joe Biden, who was then a Democratic senator from Delaware and was chairman of the committee.
“I did not find anywhere in the record on that issue where he evidenced extreme views ― where he said ― where he, on the face of what he said, as anything extreme or an explicit endorsement,” Biden said to the women who testified on Sept. 19, adding that they showed a “failure of logic” in coming to such a conclusion.
Biden also chastised another senator for saying that a clue into Thomas’ views on abortion was the fact that he attended a church in Virginia that was active in the anti-abortion movement. “I think that’s absolutely, totally completely irrelevant as a matter of principle, and I also think it’s irrelevant as a matter of fact,” Biden said. The Associated Press, in a Sept. 19 article about the hearings, said the comments “were the first indication that he did not agree with the argument of other Democrats that Thomas was disingenuous when he insisted that he had an open mind on the issue of abortion.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-clarence-thomas-abortion_n_5cfe9742e4b02ee3477b0c50
Biden expresses regret to Anita Hill, but She Says ‘I’m Sorry’ Is Not Enough https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/25/us/politics/joe-biden-anita-hill.html
Hyde Amendment
The Hyde Amendment, which Biden voted in support of as a senator in 1976, bars federal funds from going toward abortion procedures. Since launching his campaign, Biden had drawn criticism for his continued support of the measure. Until Thursday night, Biden was alone among his fellow 2020 front-runners, all of whom have spoken in favor of repealing Hyde.
“We’re glad that Joe Biden listened to the voices of millions of women and further clarified his position on the Hyde Amendment,” Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro Choice America, said Thursday in an emailed statement. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-hyde-amendment-abortion_n_5cf9abc6e4b0b08cf7eb6dc4
“Sen. Biden always has had complicated views on the issue,” Michelman recalled. “His recent remarks about the Hyde Amendment are evidence of this rather complicated view. So it’s clear that it wasn’t one of the issues the senator was particularly troubled by in relation to Thomas’ potential threat.”
Faye Wattleton was president of Planned Parenthood at the time, the first African American person to ever hold the position. She testified against Thomas that day and told HuffPost that she didn’t consider Biden an ally in the abortion fight.
“It was just a continuation of the uncertainty of dealing with him on this issue, well before the Anita Hill or Clarence Thomas hearings came along,” Wattleton said. She also called his behavior later, handling Hill’s allegations, “inexplicable and outrageous” and “almost circus-like in its comedy.” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-clarence-thomas-abortion_n_5cfe9742e4b02ee3477b0c50
Hyde Amendment – Former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden reiterated his support Wednesday for the Hyde Amendment ― which bars federal funding from going toward abortion procedures, and which he voted for as a senator in 1976 ― after he told a constituent in South Carolina last month that “it can’t stay.”
[MEK Note: Biden claims gaff over long held negative position unlike RFK Jr gaff on long held positive position] The Democratic front-runner’s campaign told HuffPost that he “misheard” the constituent, and thought he was responding to a question about the so-called Mexico City policy, the “global gag rule” that bans organizations abroad from providing any information about abortion or offering abortion services if they are funded by the U.S. NBC noted on Wednesday that the campaign and the candidate appeared to be at odds on Hyde. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-hyde-amendment-abortion-medicaid_n_5cf7e72fe4b067df5ca1e396
Roe vs Wade Codify Inaction
When Barack Obama chose Biden as his running mate, both NARAL and Planned Parenthood put out press releases praising him for his “support for a woman’s right to choose” and calling him a “strong supporter of women’s rights and women’s health care.” And while in the White House, he helped elevate the issue of sexual assault against women to national prominence. [MEK Note: Yet Obama and Biden made no attempt to codify Roe Vs. Wade during their first two years in office when they had almost total control of the House and Senate] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/joe-biden-clarence-thomas-abortion_n_5cfe9742e4b02ee3477b0c50
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RFK Jr. 2024 Presidential Candidate – coming soon
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