Gavin Newsom says late-term abortion is 'a determination for women and their doctors'

During a recent interview, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom pushed back when asked if there is a specific week that abortion should be banned, claiming it should be "a determination for women and their doctors." Newsom called the debate around late-term abortion “a complete canard.”

When pressed by NBC “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker, Newsom replied, “I think we've established that firmly in the context of what states are doing, like California, where we established a constitutional right to access abortion. And at the end of the day, I think that's a determination for women and their doctors.”

He added, “As it relates to the issues in California, we've established that firmly in the state constitution. As it relates to getting into the debate around late-term abortion, that's a complete canard.”

"Under California law, anyone in California who is pregnant has a legal right to choose to have an abortion before viability.  A pregnancy becomes viable when a doctor determines that the fetus could live outside the uterus without extreme medical measures. You can also have an abortion in California at any time to protect your life or health," California boasts. The term "health" is not further defined, though it is broadly interpreted to cover mental as well as medical health. 

Newsom was in DC most of the weekend, fueling speculation that he is gearing up to run for president, or replace Biden on the Democrat ticket. When asked if that was his plan, Newsom replied, “You’ve gotta be kidding. I am here celebrating the extraordinary accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration, making the case that we need to make to lift up the issues, lift up the record, drive contrast with the Republican nominee to beat Trump.”

When Welker asked if he had gotten any calls encouraging him to run, Newsom answered, “It’s all idle chatter. You know what? That’s a sideshow. I think what Democrats need to do is worry less, do more, continue to overperform as we have, continue to win, make the case.”

He continued, “It’s not even an interesting conversation. And, by the way, I think it’s a damning conversation, frankly, the other side wants us to have.”

“At the end of the day, not only has this train left the station, but we get to enjoy a record of accomplishment as we make the case in a re-election, the likes of which we couldn’t even have dreamt of even as a Democrat last century.”