.png)
In case you missed it, The American Independent fact-checked Kevin Smith’s false claim that he has “always been pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother,” revealing that when Smith was a member of the NH House of Representatives in 1997, he amended House Bill 768 “to remove exceptions regarding the mother's life.” Key Excerpts:
New Hampshire Republican Kevin Smith, who is running for U.S. Senate, misled the public this week about his own extreme views on abortion rights.
In an interview with local news station WMUR on Monday night, Smith claimed that while he opposes abortion, he has "always" supported exceptions to a blanket abortion ban.
"I've always been pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother," Smith said. "And look, this latest draft decision, assuming it is the actual final decision, merely returns the issue to the states. In New Hampshire, we have what I think most people would consider is a more than reasonable law which restricts late-term abortions."
In 1997, when Smith was serving as a member of New Hampshire's House of Representatives, he authored House Bill 768, which would have prohibited any physician from knowingly performing the intact dilation and extraction method of abortion — a surgical procedure used both after miscarriages and for abortions in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy — unless it was necessary to save the life of the mother.
But Smith later amended the bill to remove exceptions regarding the mother's life, banning the procedure even "when it is medically necessary to preserve the mother's life or health."
Smith has been vocally anti-abortion throughout his political career. He once worked as a lobbyist for the anti-choice, far-right group Cornerstone Action, and advocated for making abortion illegal in New Hampshire and defunding Planned Parenthood.
More recently, Smith appeared to celebrate the news that the Supreme Court may soon move to strike down Roe v. Wade. "We are SO close to ending abortion once and for all," Smith said in a campaign text to his supporters.
With the news that the U.S. Supreme Court could act this summer to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion has quickly become a major issue for voters heading into this November's midterm elections. Roughly 70% of Americans say abortion should be a matter left up to the pregnant person and their doctor, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell recently said that if Republicans regain control of the Senate in November, they may push for a nationwide abortion ban.
Read the full story here.
Comments