Trump campaign adviser Corey Lewandowski was fact-checked on Fox News after he pushed the false right-wing talking point that Democrats are OK with killing newborns.
Lewandowski claimed on “Fox News Sunday” that Vice President Kamala Harris has a “radical position on the issue of abortion.”
“Many Democrats believe that you can have an abortion not only on up until the last week, but also in some cases after the baby’s been born,” he said.
Lewandowski went on to defend Donald Trump’s fluctuating stance on abortion. After his spiel, Fox News host Shannon Bream chimed in with a note.
“To be clear, in a number of states, there is abortion allowed through pregnancy. And that includes a measure that Governor Tim Walz signed in Minnesota. But Democrats say they absolutely disavow the idea of infanticide or of a baby that does survive an abortion somehow their life being taken at that point,” she said.
“We can continue that debate, because there are a number of states that do allow it through pregnancy. But I think everybody agrees infanticide is illegal and wrong.”
Trump and other Republicans have been pushing the abhorrent lie for years, claiming without evidence that Democrats support so-called “late-term abortion” up to and even after the moment of birth.
A handful of states do not impose any term restrictions on abortions, but this does not mean people are seeking or supporting abortion at the end of pregnancies. In 2021, nearly all abortions — 93.5% — were performed at 13 weeks or less of gestation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Just 0.9% were performed at 21 weeks or more. A typical pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks.
Experts say that abortions after 21 weeks are exceedingly rare, difficult to obtain, incredibly expensive and often occur due to serious medical complications.
Harris, the Democratic nominee, supports protecting the right to abortion nationally.