‘I support the position of my party that this kind of medical care needs to be available to everyone…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg was grilled at a Fox News town-hall meeting by a pro-life Democrat supporter on whether he believes those who oppose abortion have a place in the Democratic Party.
Buttigieg’s response: Only women should be able to “draw the line” when it comes to abortion.
“I’m a proud pro-life Democrat. So, do you want the support of pro-life Democrats?” asked Kristen Day, president of the anti-abortion Democrats for Life,” according to RealClear Politics.
“And if so,” Day continued, “would you support more moderate platform language in the Democratic Party to ensure the party of diversity and inclusion really does include everybody?”
Buttigieg responded and said that he has a “difference of opinion,” but concluded that “the next best thing we can do is agree on who should draw the line. And in my view, it’s the woman who is faced with that decision in her own life.”
Buttigieg—who has declared that he is seeking to court disaffected Trump voters by positioning himself, questionably, as a “moderate” alternative, acknowledged his own biases.
“I’m not going to try to earn your vote by tricking you,” he said. “I am pro-choice, and I believe that a woman ought to be able to make that decision.”
Day then responded and said she wasn’t satisfied with Buttigieg’s answer, because he failed to answer the second part of her question.
“The Democratic platform contains language that basically says that we don’t belong, we have no part in the party because it says abortion should be legal up to nine months; the government should pay for it,” Day said. “And there’s nothing that says that people that have a diversity of views on this issue should be included in the party,” she explained.
Fox News host Chris Wallace continued to press Buttigieg on whether pro-life Democrats should be welcomed, but he continued to duck the question.
“I’ve never encountered a politician—or, frankly, another person—that I agreed with 100 percent of the time, even on very important things,” he said. “… I support the position of my party that this kind of medical care needs to be available to everyone.”