The campaign of Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has walked back his comments suggesting he would support a federal abortion ban after three months of pregnancy.
At the Iowa State Fair on Sunday, Kennedy told a reporter that women should have the right to have an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy. After that, "the state has an interest" in deciding if abortions should be restricted, he said.
His response indicated he would support a federal ban on abortion after the first three months.
Kennedy's campaign quickly issued a statement on kennedy24.com to clarify his position.
"Today, Mr. Kennedy misunderstood a question posed to him by an NBC reporter in a crowded, noisy exhibit hall at the Iowa State Fair," the statement said. "Mr. Kennedy's position on abortion is that it is always the woman's right to choose. He does not support legislation banning abortion."
Earlier at the fair, Kennedy told an NBC News reporter: "Once a child is viable outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child," he said, adding that he was for "medical freedom" in general.
"Individuals are able to make their own choices," he said.
Asked specifically if he would sign a three-month federal abortion ban, Kennedy said: "Yes, I would."
Some prominent pro-life groups were fast to praise Kennedy for his comments. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America extolled the candidate for driving such a "stark contrast to the Democratic Party's radical stance."
Writer-speaker Marianne Williamson and Kennedy are the only candidates who have entered the Democrat presidential nomination race against President Joe Biden.
Kennedy has upset many members of the Democratic Party, as well as family members, with his views on vaccines. He also criticized the Biden administration after announcing it would transfer cluster munitions to Ukraine, reversing a previous decision to withhold them.
On social media last month, Kennedy said that despite the 1968 assassination of his father, Robert F. Kennedy, leading to the Secret Service protecting presidential candidates, that agency denied him that very protection.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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