RFK Jr. says he would sign a federal ban on abortions after three months

DES MOINES, Iowa – Democratic presidential hopeful and well-known anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Sunday that he would support a national ban on abortion after the first three months of pregnancy if elected, only to backtrack hours later, claiming he “misunderstood” repeated questions from NBC News on the issue.

“Mr. Kennedy misinterpreted a question posed to him by an NBC reporter in a packed and noisy exhibit hall at the Iowa State Fair,” a spokesman said, clarifying the candidate’s position on the abortion because it is “always” a woman’s right to choose. Kennedy “does not support legislation banning abortion,” the spokesman added.

But on Sunday morning, Kennedy was much more specific, telling NBC: “I think the decision to abort a child should be up to women in the first three months of life.” Pressed on whether that meant signing a federal ban at 15 or 21 weeks, he said yes.

“Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think the state has an interest in protecting the child,” he continued, adding “I’m all for medical freedom. Individuals are able to make the their own choices.”

The original position put Kennedy, who is mounting a controversial and long-shot bid to unseat President Joe Biden as the Democratic front-runner in 2024, out of step with most of his party at a time when abortion access has been a sustained motivator by voters.

A major conservative anti-abortion group, the Susan B. Anthony List, praised Kennedy’s stance in a statement, calling it “a stark contrast to the Democratic Party’s radical position on abortion on demand. … Kennedy is one of the few prominent Democrats aligned with the consensus of the people today.All candidates should be asked, “Where do they do it? you draw the line?'”

In the interview, Kennedy defended the candidacy as a Democrat, although he defended multiple typically conservative talking points during the 15-minute appearance.

For example, Kennedy said he would not have voted to support the Inflation Reduction Act, one of the biggest Democratic policy victories of Biden’s first term. Asked about the hundreds of billions of dollars in investments to fight climate change in the legislation, Kennedy said: “They say this is to fight climate change; it’s actually doing the opposite.”

Kennedy trails Biden strongly in the polls and has been dogged by controversy in his few months as a candidate, including having repeatedly spread misinformation about the effectiveness of vaccinations and deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic , as well as anti-Semitic comments.

While he accepted that former President Donald Trump had lost the 2020 election, he suggested that “elections can be stolen in this country.” Asked if he thinks Trump tried to overturn the election results after he lost, Kennedy said that from what he’s seen, “it looks like he was trying to overturn it.”

But he added that the accusations themselves are not disqualifying: “Convictions can, but accusations cannot. I think we’re living in a strange period in history right now.”