PBS News Hour: on Abortion

Tom Steyer: Pro-choice, & only work for pro-choice candidates

Social issues: Protect a woman's right to abortion, and enact gun control legislation. Steyer is pro-choice, and made a point of saying so at the Netroots Nation conference in 2017, when he vowed his NextGen America group would not "work for a single candidate who is not pro-choice." Source: PBS News Hour 2019 coverage of 2020 Democratic primary Jul 10, 2019

Andrew Yang: Male legislators shouldn't decide female reproductive rights

Entrepreneur Andrew Yang supports a woman's right to choose. "I personally don't think male legislators should be weighing in on women's reproductive rights and freedoms," he tweeted last month as Alabama passed its ban on nearly all abortions. Yang also believes the Hyde Amendment should be repealed, his campaign manager, Zach Graumann, told the NewsHour. Among the plethora of policy proposals on his campaign website, Yang argues that "the two most effective ways" to decrease the number of abortions are increasing access to birth control and providing support to those "who are financially struggling and become pregnant" through his plan for universal basic income. As president, Yang has said he would also nominate judges who support a woman's right to choose. Source: PBS News Hour 2019 coverage of 2020 Democratic primary Jun 7, 2019

John Hickenlooper: Fight GOP-controlled legislatures' restrictive abortion laws

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has described recent efforts by GOP-controlled legislatures to pass restrictive abortion laws as "horrific." In response, Hickenlooper unveiled a plan to expand his Colorado Family Planning Initiative, which provides long-acting reversible contraception, including Intrauterine Devices, to all women above the age of 15 at no cost. The Colorado program, which Hickenlooper implemented in 2009, helped reduce teen pregnancies by 50 percent and reduced the rate of abortions among teens by nearly 50 percent, according to state health officials.

Hickenlooper's new plan would increase Title X funding by $700 million to fund the contraceptives, which he says would ensure access to low-income individuals. Hickenlooper also supports efforts to reinforce Roe v. Wade with a federal law.

Source: PBS News Hour 2019 coverage of 2020 Democratic primary Jun 7, 2019

Wayne Messam: Trust women to make their own decisions; period

Campaign advisers for Messam, the mayor of Miramar, Florida, said the candidate is in favor of allowing federal dollars to be used to provide abortions. On Messam's campaign website, women's health is the issue area with the shortest description. It includes a single sentence: "I trust women to make their own decisions when it comes to their health. Period." Source: PBS News Hour 2019 coverage of 2020 Democratic primary Jun 7, 2019

Steve Bullock: 100 percent rating from NARAL

In 2017, Bullock vetoed a bill that barred doctors from performing late-term abortions. The abortion rights group NARAL gave Bullock a 100 percent rating during his gubernatorial election. Source: PBS News Hour 2020, "Where the candidate stands on 9 issues" May 15, 2019

Beto O`Rourke: Oppose limiting abortions to under 20 weeks of pregnancy

Social Issues: Abortion should be legal and with fewer restrictions.
An abortion-rights supporter, O'Rourke co-sponsored a bill that would have prohibited states from adding any limits to abortions before a fetus is considered viable, and placed no limits on abortions after viability if a doctor concludes the life or health of the mother is at risk.
He has voted against efforts to limit abortions to 20 weeks of pregnancy or less.

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Mar 14, 2019

John Hickenlooper: Supports access to abortion

On social issues; Hickenlooper supports gay marriage, LGBTQ rights, and access to abortion. Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Mar 4, 2019

Jay Inslee: Allow taxpayer-funded family planning clinics

On abortion rights, Inslee believes in a woman's right to choose and opposed the Trump administration's announcement that it would prohibit taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions. Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Mar 1, 2019

Bernie Sanders: Few or no government limits on abortion

Social Issues: Abortion should be legal, with few or no government limits.
Sanders is a supporter of abortion rights and voted against a bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks.
When asked in 2016 if he would place any limits on abortions, Sanders did not give a specific answer but repeatedly said he was "very strongly pro-choice" and believed the decision was between a woman and her doctor.

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Feb 19, 2019

Bill Weld: Remove anti-abortion language from GOP platform

Weld publicly fought to remove anti-abortion language from the Republican Party platform in the 1990s, to the dismay of social conservatives.
Weld's liberal stance on social issues often earned him the ire of the GOP, and helped block his nomination to be ambassador of Mexico under President Bill Clinton.

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Feb 15, 2019

Amy Klobuchar: Make abortions safe and make them rare

Believes abortion is between a woman and her doctor.
Klobuchar views abortion as a decision between a woman and her doctor.
In 2006, Klobuchar said that "we need to start talking about common ground, and about reducing the number of abortions--making them safe and making them rare."
Klobuchar co-sponsored the Women's Health Protection Act. The legislation prohibits states from setting restrictions on abortion.

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Feb 10, 2019

Kamala Harris: Don't limit abortions to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy

A supporter of abortion rights, Harris voted against a bill that would limit abortions to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. As California state attorney general, she launched an investigation of anti-abortion activist David Daleiden, whose undercover videos later sparked charges of breaking privacy laws. His supporters said Harris' relationship with Planned Parenthood was a conflict of interest. Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Jan 21, 2019

Kirsten Gillibrand: Fewer limits on abortion; no 20-week ban

Social issues: Expand abortion access.
Gillibrand supports abortion rights, including placing fewer limits on, and expanding access to, abortion.
She vocally opposed the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, arguing that he could help overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
She also voted against a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Jan 16, 2019

Tulsi Gabbard: Abortion should remain legal and accessible

Gabbard believes that abortion should remain legal and accessible.
She voted against a proposed ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Ban discrimination based on sexual preference, identity.
Gabbard has changed her position since she entered politics at age 21.
She was initially anti-abortion, or opposed to increased abortion access.

Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Jan 14, 2019

Julian Castro: Allow abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy

Castro is a Roman Catholic who supports legal abortion access and gay rights. He vigorously opposed a Texas law to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and limit facilities and access to abortions in general. Castro has long supported same-sex marriage, serving as Grand Marshal of the 2009 San Antonio Gay Pride parade. In 2017, he tweeted that the military should allow Americans of all gender identities to serve in the military. Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Jan 12, 2019

The above quotations are from PBS News Hour "2020 Candidate Stands" series. Click here for definitions & background information on Abortion. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by Pete Buttigieg on Abortion. Click here for more quotes by Kamala Harris on Abortion.
*2020 Presidential contenders on Abortion:*
	*Democrats running for President:* Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO) V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE) Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC) Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT) Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN) Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ) Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX) Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI) Rep.John Delaney (D-MD) Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA) Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT) CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA) Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) Marianne Williamson (D-CA) CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY) *2020 Third Party Candidates:* Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI) CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV) Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI) Howie Hawkins (G-NY) ~~Gov.Gary Johnson~~(L-NM) ~~Howard Schultz~~(I-WA) Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN)	*Republicans running for President:* ~~Sen.Ted Cruz~~(R-TX) ~~Gov.Larry Hogan~~ (R-MD) ~~Gov.John Kasich~~(R-OH) V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN) ~~Gov.Mark Sanford~~ (R-SC) Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY) Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL) Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY) *2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:* Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA) Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC) Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK) Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA) Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO) Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA) Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL) Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA) Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX) Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA) Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA) Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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Page last updated: Aug 12, 2020