White House Press Secretary-turned MSNBC host Jen Psaki faced a virtual tsunami of backlash over what she apparently believed was a simple claim about abortion rights in the United States.
The comment stemmed from a conversation that took place Wednesday evening at the first GOP debate of the 2024 primary. Former Governor Nikki Haley (R-SC) led off with a challenge directed at the White House.
“I would love for someone to ask Biden and Kamala Harris: Are they for 38 weeks, are they for 39 weeks, are they for 40 weeks? Because that’s what the media needs to be asking,” Haley said.
“What the Democrats are trying to do on this issue is wrong — to allow abortion all the way up to the moment of birth,” Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) added.
“No one supports abortion up until birth,” Psaki posted via X. The deluge that followed was swift and immediate from critics pointing out that, yes, there were people who supported abortion up until the moment of birth — and all of them were from her side of the political aisle.
No one supports abortion up until birth.
— Jen Psaki (@jrpsaki) August 24, 2023
“Yes, they do. And they’re all democrats,” podcast host Megyn Kelly said.
“A Virginia delegate proposed a bill in 2019 that would’ve made an abortion legal even if the mother was dilating,” Delano Squires added.
“46 Democrat Senators voted for it on Feb. 28, 2022,” John Hasson replied, sharing a link to the Democrat-supported Women’s Health Protection Act — which would have allowed abortion up to the moment of birth and forced American taxpayers to foot the bill for them.
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Women’s health protection act allowed abortion up til birth: https://t.co/pQjar6oD8P
And here was the vote on it: https://t.co/6oGJal2miq
— John Hasson (@SonofHas) August 24, 2023
“Sure, Jan,” @TRHLOfficial posted, sharing a map that showed seven U.S. states where there are no restrictions on abortion during any stage of pregnancy.
Sure Jan. pic.twitter.com/17BrxmovhX
— The Redheaded libertarian (@TRHLofficial) August 24, 2023
The DeSantis War Room shared a compilation video of Democrat officials saying that there should be no restrictions on abortion. Among them were sitting Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), Mayor Eric Adams (D-NYC), Governor Michell Lujan Grisham (D-NM), former Governor Ralph Northam (D-VA), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and twice-failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
Oh really?
Here are five straight minutes of Democrats admitting they support abortion until birth. pic.twitter.com/5k1aZIlv4l
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) August 24, 2023
But then Greg Price shared video of Psaki herself touting the Women’s Health Protection Act – which, again, would have allowed abortions up until the moment of birth and would also have put taxpayers on the hook to fund them.
Here is Jen Psaki pushing for support for the "Women's Health Protection Act," which would have legalized abortion in America up until the moment of birth. https://t.co/018Ezc3dFb pic.twitter.com/IRKKs4fCzb
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 24, 2023