House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) deflected a question about unborn babies on Thursday morning, instead opting to tell reporters that she strongly supports the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that struck down numerous abortion laws around the United States.
The speaker’s remarks came during her weekly news conference, after a reporter for CNS News, a conservative media outlet, directed a pointed question about an abortion case making its way through the courts, saying: “The Supreme Court this fall will review a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Is an unborn baby at 15 weeks a human being?”
Pelosi, who notably completely avoided the question, responded: “Let me just say that I’m a big supporter of Roe v Wade. I’m a mother of five children in six years. I think I have some standing on this issue as to respecting a woman’s right to choose.”
Reporter asks Nancy Pelosi, “Is an unborn baby at 15 weeks a human being?”
Pelosi: “Let me just say that I am a big supporter of Roe v. Wade. I am a mother of five children in six years. I think I have some standing on this issue as to respecting a woman’s right to choose.” pic.twitter.com/JnCX67Cfk3
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 17, 2021
Pelosi, who identifies as Catholic, has previously accused Republicans of violating “basic morality” bypassing abortion restrictions, according to Fox-10. Although the Catholic Church opposes abortion, Pelosi has given similar responses when asked about the topic of babies in the womb in the past.
Back in 2015, a CNS News reporter asked the Democratic congresswoman whether “an unborn child 20 weeks into pregnancy” is a “human being.” Pelosi responded: “You know what, what we’re talking about on the floor of the House is something that says politicians should determine what affects the health of a woman, her life, her health, and the rest. I don’t think it’s up to politicians to do that, and that’s why we are very overwhelmingly opposing what is going on on the floor of the House.”
Unsatisfied with Pelosi’s answer, the reporter pressed: “What is your personal take on it? If it’s not a human being, then what do you believe it is?”
“It isn’t an ideological fight, it’s a personal health issue, and as a mother of five in six years, I have great standing on this issue, great understanding of it, more than my colleagues,” she said.
Pelosi proceeded to tell a story about her early days in Congress, in which she said a Republican congressman told her that she thought she knew more about “having babies than the Pope.”
“Yeah, that would be true,” said Pelosi in her 2015 recollection of the story.
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