A witness at an abortion-rights listening to expertly rebuffed an inflammatory query from Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) on Wednesday. (Watch the video under.)
At a Senate subcommittee listening to that targeted on interstate travel for abortions as more states restrict the process, Kennedy talked about a girl who supposedly requested for an abortion in her thirty fourth week of being pregnant.
“Ought to the mom at that juncture have the suitable — clearly a viable youngster — to abort the kid?” Kennedy requested one witness, who mentioned he didn’t wish to have interaction in hypotheticals.
“That’s what your aspect all the time says,” Kennedy sneered. “My instance’s not unrealistic. I wanna save my time. In case your reply’s gonna be, ‘That by no means occurs,’ let me go to Ms. Frye. What do you assume?”
Jocelyn Frye, the president of the Nationwide Partnership for Ladies & Households, gave Kennedy a forceful response that refused to indulge right-wing fearmongering about extraordinarily late procedures.
“To start with, don’t ask a query for those who don’t wish to know the reply,” Frye snapped. “However I’m saying to you, Senator, 1%, 1% of abortions occur at 21 weeks or later. So I feel the premise of your query units up a dialog about abortion that’s unfair. It’s — hardly ever is that ever the occasion. The overwhelming majority of pregnancies and abortions which might be thought-about late in a being pregnant must do with extreme, devastating medical circumstances.”
“And I perceive your level, Senator. I perceive your level. However with all due respect, I additionally assume the possibilities of individuals kind of getting during a being pregnant and simply kind of saying, ‘I don’t need it,’ is disrespectful to ladies,” she added.
Frye’s reply was seconded by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who presided over the assembly. He shared the exchange on X (previously Twitter) and wrote: “At my listening to on the liberty to journey for abortion care, Senator Kennedy requested our witnesses to answer a sensationalized, extremely unrealistic hypothetical aimed toward stoking worry. Ms. Frye’s response says all of it.”
Frye later thanked Democrats on the committee for permitting her to testify. “The appropriate to journey have to be protected to make sure that all individuals can entry important care at any time when they want it,” she wrote on X.
