Democratic presidential candidate and prominent anti-vaxxer Robert Kennedy Jr. said Sunday he would support a federal abortion ban after three months, but his campaign later claimed he “misunderstood” the reporter’s question.
Kennedy told NBC News at the Iowa State Fair that if he’s elected president, he would sign a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks or 21 weeks or pregnancy.
“I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life,” Kennedy said. “Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child.”
“I’m for medical freedom. Individuals are able to make their own choices,” he added.
But, in a statement Kennedy’s campaign tried to walk back his comments as his stance on abortion puts him out of step with the overwhelming majority of Democratic primary voters.
“Today, Mr. Kennedy misunderstood a question posed to him by a NBC reporter in a crowded, noisy exhibit hall at the Iowa State Fair,” the campaign 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.”
However Ali Vitali, the NBC News congressional reporter who asked Kennedy the question, posted a transcript of the full exchange on Twitter stating that she asked Kennedy the question multiples times to ensure that he understood, adding “even at one point saying I was surprised by the stance.”
