“Joe Biden claims he has empathy for the vulnerable, yet the party he leads supports the extreme abortion in the late term of defenseless babies, until the moment of birth.”
– President Trump
This is exaggerated.
Democrats support abortion rights, but that does not mean they are calling on women to have an unlimited right to terminate pregnancies until the point of birth. Mr Trump may have been referring to a debate on a bill passed by Democrats in Virginia’s legislature last year that would have made it easier for women to have abortions late in pregnancy than the physical health and safety of the mother were in danger.
The proposed legislation prompted Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, to falsely claim that Democrats “support abortion until the moment of birth and even, terribly, thereafter.” Other Republicans have refuted the claim.
Democrats support the codification of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that states could ban abortion to fetal viability – the point at which fetuses can sustain life outside the womb. The current standard of the Supreme Court states that states may prohibit abortion after fetal viability, as long as there are exceptions to the life and health of the mother.
“Like the majority of Americans, Democrats believe that every woman should have access to high-quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortions,” states the party’s 2020 draft concept, adding, “Democrats oppose and will fight to reverse federal and state laws that create barriers to women’s reproductive health and rights. “
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