Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in an interview aired Wednesday that he would allow women to have full-term abortions if it were an option, his latest answer on abortion policy, prompting a bewildered response from women. his running mate.
During an interview with podcaster Sage Steele, the former ESPN anchor asked Kennedy what the restriction was on women getting abortions. “Should there be a limit, or do you say that a woman has the right to have an abortion up to the full term?” he said.
Kennedy replied that I don’t think anyone would want to do it at eight months pregnant, but abortion should be out of the hands of the government and in the hands of women.
Steele continued to push Kennedy, Roe v. Asked if he agreed with the Wade standard or leaving abortion up to the states, Kennedy reiterated that the decision should rest with the mother, not the states.
“Even if it’s full-time,” Kennedy said in response to a follow-up question. “I don’t think it’s ever good,” he said. When Steele said it would allow late-term abortions, Kennedy said, “I think we should leave that up to the women, not the state.”
The comments came as a surprise to Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy’s running mate. A week before Kennedy’s conversation with Steele aired, Shanahan was featured on a podcast episode with the host. Steele asked Shanahan if he agreed with Kennedy’s belief that a woman should have the option to have a full-term abortion, and Shanahan responded with surprise.
“I understand Bobby’s position that, you know, every abortion is a tragedy, a loss of life,” Shanahan said. “My understanding is that he strongly believes in restrictions on abortion and we have talked about that. I don’t think so, I don’t know where it came from.”
Shanahan later said, “I don’t even understand his position, and I think there may have been a miscommunication there.”
Shanahan, who has not attended a private campaign rally since announcing his candidacy for the Kennedy ticket in March, shared his stance on abortion. Type in X.
“I will speak personally,” Shanahan wrote. “As a mother and a person with a womb, I don’t like someone controlling my body. It is a compulsion. This is wrong. But I’m also a woman who doesn’t think it’s right to end the life inside of me, especially if I’m healthy and the baby is healthy. As someone who believes in the sanctity of life, I can hold both beliefs at the same time.”
During the presidential campaign, Kennedy sometimes expressed different positions on abortion. during interview with NBC News last AugustIf elected, Kennedy said he would support signing a ban on abortion after the first trimester of pregnancy, before his campaign quickly retracted the comments.
“I believe that the decision to abort a child should be left to women in the first trimester,” Kennedy told NBC News. Pressed on whether that meant signing the federal ban in 15 or 21 weeks, he said yes.
Kennedy’s campaign soon issued a statement saying the candidate had “misunderstood” repeated questions on the topic.
“Mr. Kennedy misunderstood a question posed to him by an NBC reporter in a crowded, noisy exhibit hall at the Iowa State Fair,” a spokesman said, clarifying the candidate’s position on abortion has “always” been a woman’s right to choose. Kennedy’s campaign “does not support legislation that would ban abortion.” added time.