Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has revised his position on abortion.
Last week, a video of Kennedy seemingly supporting late-term abortion went viral.
"I don’t trust the state and I think we need to trust the woman,” he told Sage Steele during an interview on her podcast. “We shouldn’t have government involved.”
“Even if it’s full term?” Steele asked.
“Even if it’s full term,” he replied.
“I don’t think any woman, ever, ever in history, has said I’m going to have a baby, I’m going to get pregnant and carry that baby to eight months term – and then I’m gonna terminate the pregnancy,” he continued. “I don’t think anybody wants to do that.”
He added: “I’m sure it has happened. I would say in almost all those cases, there are extenuating circumstances.”
Though he clarified his disapproval of abortion by saying, "I don't think it's ever OK," he received sharp criticism from many anti-abortion advocates. There was more outrage over Kristi Noem shooting a dog than RFK JR supporting abortion up until THE MOMENT OF BIRTH.
THAT is what is wrong with our country.
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) May 10, 2024 RFK Jr. endorses FULL TERM abortion. That means a baby can survive outside the womb. This isn’t "pro choice" no matter how much he deludes himself, it’s legalizing murder.
I don’t see how anyone who values life can vote for such an extreme position.pic.twitter.com/UO4nRK7EJ9
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) May 9, 2024 🚨CV President Brian Burch on RFK Jr. explicitly endorsing abortion up until birth.
This is a massive disappointment for voters who hoped that Kennedy would stake out a truly independent position. Instead, RFK just endorsed the same radical position on abortion as Joe Biden.… pic.twitter.com/cz4yRlvBea
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) May 10, 2024 Any person who claims to be "Conservative" and supports full term abortion RFK Jr is a fraud just like he is.
If Biden wins, the Democrats will flood the country with 30-50 million more illegals to hold on to power forever - and what's left of our frail economy will be…
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) May 10, 2024 Absolutely evil and psychotic https://t.co/7jHsBnncnJ
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) May 9, 2024
In a late Friday X post, Kennedy appeared to revise his position.
"I've been a medical freedom advocate for my entire career and have fought for bodily autonomy, and I trust women’s maternal instincts," he said. "What if the baby has some fatal condition that ensures it will survive just hours or days after birth in intense suffering? Can we, should we, legislate such painful decisions and take them away from the mother? Is a bureaucrat or judge better equipped than the baby’s own mother to decide?"
"Cases like this are why I am leery of inserting the government into abortion," he continued. "I had been assuming that virtually all late-term abortions were such cases, but I’ve learned that my assumption was wrong. Sometimes, women abort healthy, viable late-term fetuses. These cases of purely 'elective' late-term abortion are very upsetting. Once the baby is viable outside the womb, it should have rights and it deserves society’s protection." Abortion has been a notoriously divisive issue in America, but actually I see an emerging consensus — abortion should be legal up until a certain number of weeks, and restricted thereafter. Even in the reddest of red states, voters reject total abortion bans. And on the other…
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) May 11, 2024
Kennedy credited his altered position to his willingness to listen to perspectives from family, advisors, supporters and others.
"My promise to myself and to America is that I will continue to listen and incorporate what I learn into my decisions," he said. "I support the emerging consensus that abortion should be unrestricted up until a certain point. I believe that point should be when the baby is viable outside the womb. Therefore I would allow appropriate restrictions on abortion in the final months of pregnancy, just as Roe v. Wade did."
He added: "That is the principle that will guide my actions as President, whether implemented by Congress, the states, or in court. It is the right policy for our country. It is the will of the people."
Kennedy referred to his More Choices, More Life policy, which he said would "reduce abortion across the board by supporting motherhood, supporting parents, and supporting families."
