Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Sep 13, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).
During Tuesday night’s presidential debate with former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris refused to say whether she opposes late-term abortions and denied that they happen in the United States.
However, more than a dozen states, in fact, allow on-demand abortions after the point of viability, and nine of those states permit abortions throughout the entirety of pregnancy.
What’s more, studies from pro-abortion groups and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that thousands of abortions happen late into pregnancy every year.
“Nowhere in America is a woman carrying a pregnancy to term and asking for an abortion,” the vice president claimed. “That is not happening — it’s insulting to the women of America.”
During the debate, Trump said Harris’ vow to codify Roe v. Wade into national law would legalize late-term abortion. The now-defunct landmark Supreme Court ruling forced states to permit abortion at least until the point of fetal viability, at which point the unborn child could survive outside the womb. The exact moment of fetal viability is different for every pregnancy, but this usually occurs in the 23rd or the 24th week.
Trump said Harris would support abortion in “the seventh month, the eighth month, [and] the ninth month,” to which Harris retorted: “That’s not true.”
When asked by ABC debate moderator Linsey Davis whether she would support any restrictions on abortion, Harris ducked the question and said she supports what she called the “protections” of Roe v. Wade. Harris used the word “protections” in reference to making abortion legal, not to to mean protecting the unborn.
Although ABC’s debate moderators — Davis and David Muir — intervened to “fact check” Trump on several of his arguments, neither of them corrected Harris to inform viewers where late-term abortions are legal and occur in the United States.
However, Roe v. Wade did not prohibit states from allowing abortion much later into pregnancy, some of which do permit abortion in the seventh, eighth, and ninth months.
In nine states and Washington, D.C., abortion is legal for the entirety of pregnancy, until the moment of birth, for any reason. In one state, elective abortion is legal through the second trimester, which concludes at the end of the 27th week of pregnancy. In another four states, abortion is legal through the 24th week of pregnancy, regardless of whether the unborn child has already reached viability.
States where on-demand late-term abortion is legal
The most permissive abortion laws are in Alaska, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. A woman can procure a legal abortion through the ninth month of pregnancy, until the moment of birth, for any reason.
Minnesota, the home state of Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, has some of the most permissive pro-abortion laws in the country. Walz signed legislation in January 2023 that declared abortion “a fundamental right” and prohibited local governments from taking any action that interferes with that legal right. This provided even stronger protections for Minnesota’s laws on abortion, which permit the procedure until the moment of birth.
Virginia allows elective abortion through the second trimester of pregnancy, which ends in the 27th week. This is three or four weeks after the unborn child could survive outside the womb.
In four other states — Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and New Hampshire — abortion is legal in the 24th week of pregnancy, regardless of whether the unborn child is viable. About a dozen states allow abortion up until the point of viability, which is often determined by the physician, who may be an abortionist. More than 20 states restrict abortion earlier than viability.
How often does late-term abortion happen?
State laws vary on what data abortion clinics must record and report to the government. Most states provide some data to the federal government, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not offer a comprehensive breakdown of the exact gestational ages of preborn children at the time of an abortion.
However, the CDC does report its estimates of how many abortions occur in the 21st week of pregnancy or later. In 2019, the CDC estimated about 4,882 abortions were performed at least 21 weeks or later into pregnancy. The data is incomplete because it excludes the nine states that permit abortions at that stage of pregnancy and the District of Columbia.
The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, which provides estimates through voluntary surveys, reported that about 0.9% of abortions were conducted in the 21st week or later in 2023. The report estimated more than 1 million total abortions, which would mean that more than 9,000 abortions occurred in the 21st week or later.
If the Guttmacher Institute’s reporting is correct, this would mean that, on average, between 24 and 25 abortions in the 21st week or later occur every day in the United States.
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The U.S. Press and everyone else is bashing Pres. Trump for accusing immigrants of eating pet cats and dogs. So far, the news media is saying that this is false, but…I know there are countries where eating cats and dogs is acceptable, and eating cows is NOT acceptable–so it’s certainly possible that some of these folks have come to our country and don’t realize that eating Frisky or Puff is taboo here!
But apparently the story that Pres. Trump told is truly false, as NBC (a different and more “careful” network than the one that broadcast the debate) has done the research and a woman has come forward to say she was mistaken. This was reported on NBC Today Show this morning with no rancor or eye-rolling implying criticism of Pres. Trump.
It was definitely not a smart thing for Pres. Trump to bring up, but…he is not a politician and for that reason, I’m willing to let it go. Perhaps he needs to be more careful, but I can’t say I blame him for getting upset about this–a lot of other cat lovers were online and upset about the supposed “cat-eating,” too. I heard this rumor a few days before the debate and honestly didn’t doubt it. (Disclosure–I have a cat, but I don’t use any social media other than a few forums like this one.)
But the U.S. press and everyone else (including NBC) is ignoring/accepting without research VP Harris’ statements that late-term abortion doesn’t happen. And many of the country’s current gods and goddesses (e.g., Taylor Swift, a singer) are endorsing this candidate, who is either ignorant of the facts or lying about the facts. Either personality trait–ignorance and/or willingness to lie, does not bode well for the U.S. if VP Harris is elected President.
I truly hope that Catholics will not throw away their votes on a “no-chance unless God steps in” candidate. If I have the choice between a candidate who voices what is actually a false internet rumor about eating cats, and a candidate who is either ignorant of late-term abortion facts or blatantly lying about late-term abortion facts–or perhaps, horrifically, isn’t concerned about human beings who are aborted in the late term–I’ll take the person who is concerned about cats AND unborn humans, even if he isn’t smiling, pretty, or “young.”
I don’t pretend to know where Trump got that story from about migrants eating dogs and cats but I had absolutely NO PROBLEM believing it as it is not news. I live in California, have worked with animal welfare groups and have had direct dealings with the homeless, migrants, etc. The issue of migrants eating pets was in the headlines here not that many years ago and was debated in the CA State legislature. Eatings dogs and cats or using them for fighting or as bate is one prime reason animal humane groups advise people with litters of pups or kittens to NEVER offer them free for adoption. Horrible as it sounds it is all too common and sad.
Mrs. Sharon, it’s true that different cultures consume differing sorts of meats but unless things have greatly changed in Haiti, Haitians do not consider cats suitable as an entree. Haiti actually has a wonderful cuisine of French inspired and Caribbean dishes.
I imagine in desperate times people will eat almost anything but that seems unlikely to apply to folks in the US who have benefits and/ or employment.
Pro-life Definition and Explainer. To be pro-life does not consist in advocating and voting for the unborn only. By definition that is anti-abortion or pro-birth only. Catholic Social Teaching defines to be pro-life as fighting and caring for the unborn and the born – the unloved, unwelcomed (immigrants), undead (on death row; terminally ill), unfed, unhoused, unprotected, unfree (Matthew 25:31-46). A Catholic pro-lifer prays, discerns, decides to vote for politicians, parties, and platforms that cover and care for the most of these lives from womb to tomb, from conception to natural death.
To Deacon Dom: There are currently politicians who are not only in favor of killing the unborn, but want to expand it.
I am unaware of any politician who is opposed to the unfed, the unhoused the unprotected, etc. There are differing proposals on how to best address these issues, but not opposition.
Without making a judgement, it seems that just in other postings of yours you are trying to justify voting for candidates who are militantly in favor of killing the unborn.
It’s true Deacon Dom that Christians are commanded to care for one another but we can disagree on how to practically carry that out in various situations.
There is no moral wiggle room though for intentionally killing children in the womb.
Another cut-and-paste post from progressive Deacon Dom. We are not a socialist system. The government is not responsible for taking care of anyone “from womb to tomb,” and neither is the church. That’s patently ridiculous.
A society that won’t first end the “legal” mass murder of innocent humanity by the millions isn’t ever going to end other injustices. The respect for all human life required to do that obviously just isn’t there.
http://www.RescuetheRepublic.com
To mrscracker: I often wish you could be a scriptwriter for the Pope.
Goodness Miss Mary, I can’t imagine writing a script for anyone, much less the Pope but thank you very much .
🙂
Abortion is First Degree Murder, just to make that clear.
So the governor of Ohio, the local government and the police, and of course the establishment media claim that reports of Haitians taking and eating animals are false. On the other hand, see at least four of the reports and see if they sound false:
Ohio Attorney General points out that there was at least one 911 call to Police claiming Haitians carrying geese away
https://x.com/DaveYostOH/status/1833862624481529975?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1833862624481529975%7Ctwgr%5E8d9bd5d750efe5a3ae798f0fb0530173aee24b4d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.infowars.com%2Fposts%2Fohio-ag-slams-media-for-hiding-dismissing-springfield-haitian-goose-story
Attorney General Dave Yost
@DaveYostOH
There’s a recorded police call from a witness who saw immigrants capturing geese for food in Springfield. Citizens testified to City Council. These people would be competent witnesses in court. Why does the media find a carefully worded City Hall press release better evidence?
Elon Musk posted on x a video of the daughter of a Haitian immigrant confirming the practice of eating animals for religious reasons and out of hunger.
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1834176196797722907?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1834176196797722907%7Ctwgr%5Efd4457d327a8e673a90e8ec498ebf8126ceb37b8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.infowars.com%2Fposts%2Fmusk-shares-video-of-haitian-migrants-daughter-confirming-haitians-kill-cats-for-food-voodoo
This is a recording of a 911 calls made by a citizen saying he just saw 4 Haitians each carrying a goose get away
https://x.com/FDRLST/status/1833660928451060042
The Federalist
@FDRLST
EXCLUSIVE: Police Audio, Report Confirm Haitian Goose-Hunting In Ohio: ‘They All Had Geese In Their Hands’
• An Ohio duck rescue expert points out a decrease in the Ohio bird population below normal rates:
Speaking to DailyMail.com, she said the sheer number of birds disappearing of late has far exceeded past summers in the region and she believes the rumors about people eating birds are true.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13843271/ohio-duck-rescue-phone-haitian-migrants-springfield-pet-eating-rumors.html