Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would not say he doesn’t support abortions in the ninth month, a procedure brought up during Tuesday’s vice presidential debate.
When CBS host Norah O’Donnell asked Mr. Walz if he believed in abortions in that late month — a claim former President Donald Trump made in his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last month — the Democratic vice presidential candidate skirted the question by defending the Roe v. Wade-like abortion bill he signed in Minnesota in 2023.
“That’s not what the bill says. But look, this issue is what’s on everyone’s mind. Donald Trump put this all into motion. He brags about how great it was that he put the judges in and overturned Roe v. Wade, 52 years of personal autonomy,” Mr. Walz said.
“Those things are being proposed, and the catch-all on this is, is, well, the states will decide what’s right for Texas might not be right for Washington. That’s not how this works. This is basic human rights,” he said of abortion. “We have seen maternal mortality skyrocket in Texas, outpacing many other countries in the world. This is about health care. In Minnesota, we are ranked first in health care for a reason. We trust women. We trust doctors.”
At the Trump-Harris debate, the former president said her “vice presidential pick says abortion in the ninth month is absolutely fine.
“He also says execution after birth — it’s execution, no longer abortion because the baby is born — is OK, and that’s not OK with me.”
Mr. Walz has never said abortions in the ninth month are “absolutely fine.”
He has, however, made abortion rights a central issue in his campaign.
During Tuesday’s debate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance claimed the Minnesota law says a doctor is under no obligation to provide lifesaving care to a baby who survives a late-term abortion. The Republican candidate called that “barbaric.”
The Minnesota law doesn’t allow for infanticide, which is illegal across the country. The law does say that “all reasonable measures consistent with good medical practice … shall be taken by the responsible medical personnel to care for the infant who is born alive.”
Mr. Walz said during the VP debate that abortion and reproductive issues are no one’s business but women’s.
“There’s a continuation of these guys to try and tell women or to get involved. I use this line on this — just mind your own business on this. Things worked best when Roe v. Wade was in place. When we do a restoration of Roe, that works best,” he said.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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