>>> IN THE WEE HOURS OF THIS MORNING AFTER AN OVERNIGHT
SESSION THE MISSOURI STATE
SENATE PASSED AN EIGHT WEEK
ABORTION BAN AND MANDATING UP TO
15 YEARS IN PRISON FOR DOCTORS
WHO VIOLATE THE BAN.
THAT CAME JUST HOURS AFTER THE
GOVERNOR OF ALABAMA SIGNED THE
MOST RADICAL ANTI-CHOICE LAW IN
THE COUNTRY.
THE COUNTRY. EFFECTIVELY A TOTAL BAN ON
ABORTION WITH UP TO 99 YEARS IN
PRISON FOR DOCTORS WHO PERFORM
THE PROCEDURE.
THE PROCEDURE. THAT LAW HAS SETOFF AN
IMPASSIONED MOBILIZED NATIONAL
BACKLASH, DRAWING FIRE FROM THE
PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRATIC
PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES
CANDIDATES CANDIDATES AND PROMPTING
THOUSANDS OF WOMEN TO SHARE
THEIR PERSONAL ABORTION STORIES
ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
THE CLOSER YOU LOOK AT THE
ALABAMA LAW, BY THE WAY, WAS
PASSED OUT OF THE STATE SENATE
BY THESE 25 REPUBLICAN
LAWMAKERS, ALL OF THEM WHITE
MEN, THE MORE LUDICROUS IT
REVEALS ITSELF TO BE.
BUT FOR A LAW CLAIMING TO STEM
FROM AN IDEOLOGY IT CONTAINS A
PUZZLING FOR EMBRYOS USING
INVETO VURTALIZATION.
INVETO VURTALIZATION. HERE’S HOW ONE OF THOSE
REPUBLICAN MEN TRIED TO EXPLAIN
IT.
IT. >> SO THE EGG IN THE LAB DOESN’T
APPLY.
APPLY. >> THE EGG IS NOT LIFE?
>> NO, SIR.
>> WHAT IS THE EGG DECLARED
BEING?
BEING? >> WELL, I’M AT THE LIMITS OF MY
MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE BUT UNTIL
THOSE CHROMOSOMES THAT YOU WERE
TALKING ABOUT COMBINE FOR MALE
AND FEMALE THAT’S MY
UNDERSTANDING --
UNDERSTANDING -- >> WHAT ARE THE EGGS CONSIDERED
THEN?
THEN? WHAT ARE THEY CONSIDERED?
>> I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER TO
THAT.
THAT. >> CALL IT WHAT HE SAID, IF A
FERTILIZED EGG IS NOT ACTUALLY
INSIDE A WOMAN’S BODY IT DOESN’T
COUNT.
COUNT. THAT MOMENT HAS GOTTEN A LOT OF
ATTENTION AND OBVIOUSLY GOT
ATTENTION BECAUSE THAT WAS A
DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER PRESSING HIM
ON IT BUT THIS IS WHAT THE WHOLE
ISSUE WAS.
ISSUE WAS. >> IT REVEALED THE WHOLE GAME
LIKE YOU SAID.
IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT
CONTROLLING THE WOMAN AND THEY
DON’T NECESSARILY CARE ABOUT THE
FERTILIZED EGG.
FERTILIZED EGG. THEY MAY TALK ABOUT IT AS IF
IT’S A PERSON --
>> THEY SAY THEY DO.
I WANT TO BE CLEAR, THEY SAY
IT’S ABOUT LIFE.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. BUT I’M GOING BASED ON THEIR
ACTIONS, TOO, CHRIS.
AND THE THING I KEEP THINKING
ABOUT IN THIS MOMENT WHERE
PEOPLE ARE SAYING THEY CARE
ABOUT CHILDREN, THEY CARE ABOUT
LIFE THEY ARE NOT SAYING ABOUT
THE BABIES ON THE BORDER IN THE
CAGES.
CAGES. AND SO I THINK WE HAVE TO BE
HONEST WHEN WE’RE HAVING THIS
CONVERSATION AND HOLD THOSE
FOLKS ACCOUNTABLE TO EVEN LIVE
UP TO THE VALUES THEY’RE SAYING
THEY HOLD.
THEY HOLD. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN
WE WERE TOLD WE WERE BEING
HYSTERICAL DURING THE BRETT
KAVANAUGH HEARINGS I WAS ON
SEGMENTS WHERE MALE COMMENTATORS
WOULD SAY YOU’RE OVERSTATING IT.
SUSAN COLLINS HAS SAID HE’S
GOING TO UPHOLD PRECEDENT, CALM
DOWN IS BASICALLY WHAT PEOPLE
WERE SAYING.
WERE SAYING. THEY HAVE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE
2010 AND NOW THEY HAVE THE
OPENING.
OPENING. IN 2010 THEY WANTED TO DO TRAP
LAWS AND BASICALLY MAKE ABORTION
INACCESSIBLE.
INACCESSIBLE. NOW THEY HAVE THEIR TWO JUSTICE
WHO WILL VOTE TO OVERTURN IT, SO
THEY’RE GOING STRAIGHT AT AND
THAT’S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.
>> OBVIOUSLY THIS ENTIRE FIGHT
IS ABOUT ROE.
WHY ARE WE PRETENDING IT’S NOT?
OBVIOUSLY IT IS.
AND THIS IS A QUESTION NOW ON
THE RIGHT THAT’S SORT OF
INTERESTING.
INTERESTING. EVERYONE’S BEEN PLAYING THIS AND
WE PLAYED IT LAST NIGHT THE PAT
ROBINSON CLIP.
ROBINSON CLIP. HE’S NOT SAYING HE DOESN’T LIKE
IT BUT TACTICALLY IT MIGHT BE A
MISTAKE.
MISTAKE. TAKE A LISTEN TO THE FULL QUOTE.
>> I THINK ALABAMA HAS GONE TOO
FAR.
FAR. THEY’VE PASSED A LAW THAT WOULD
GIVE A 99-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE
TO WHEEM TO COMMIT ABORTION.
THERE’S NO EXCEPTION FOR RAPE
AND INCEST.
AND INCEST. IT’S AN EXTREME LAW AND THEY
WANT TO CHALLENGE ROE vs. WADE,
BUT MY HUMBLE VIEW IS THAT THIS
IS NOT THE CASE WE WANT TO BRING
TO THE SUPREME COURT BECAUSE I
THINK THIS ONE WILL LOSE.
>> THIS IS NOT THE CASE.
THERE’S AN ACTIVE DEBATE ON THE
RIGHT IN ANTI-ABORTION CIRCLES
RIGHT NOW ABOUT PRECISELY THIS.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. HE’S NOT SAYING WARE TOO
EXTREME, WE’RE CONCERNED ABOUT
WOMEN, THE 12-YEAR-OLD RAPE
VICTIM THAT WILL BE FORCED TO
CARRY A CHILD TO TERM, HE’S TALK
ABOUT THE OPTICS OF THIS AND
POLITICS OF THIS, WHICH IS ALL
REPUBLICANS SEEM TO CARE ABOUT.
THE WOMAN WHO SPONSORED THIS LAW
IN THE ALABAMA HOUSE SAID I
DON’T LIKE THIS LAW FOR ALABAMA
WOMEN, BUT THIS IS WHAT WE NEED
TO GET TO THE SUPREME COURT
WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY THE OPT LOGIC
OF WHAT WE’RE SEEING FROM PAT
ROBERTS THERE.
ROBERTS THERE. BUT I THINK HE’S RIGHT, I THINK
IT IS TOO EXTREME.
>> YOU THINK IT IS A BAD
VEHICLE.
VEHICLE. >> OH, YEAH, I DON’T THINK
THEY’RE GOING TO PICK THIS ONE
UP.
UP. THERE ARE OTHER LAWS I THINK
THEY’RE MORE LIKELY TO CHALLENGE
ROE v. WADE.
I DON’T THINK THEY’RE GOING TO
TOUCH THIS ONE.
>> THERE’S A GREAT PIECE, GREAT
PIECE OF WRITING, IT’S CALLED
ARREST ME YOU ALABAMA COWARDS.
AND IT JUST MAKES AN OBVIOUS
POINT WHICH IS THAT DOCTORS WHO
PERFORM AERSION BOZ UNDER THIS
LAW CAN FACE 99 YEARS IN PRISON.
THERE’S NO PENALTY FOR THE
WOMEN.
WOMEN. BUT AS SHE WRITES IN THAT PIECE
I WAS THE AGENT OF MY OWN
ABORTION.
ABORTION. IF YOU ACTUALLY THINK IT’S
MURDER THEN THE LOGIC ENTAILS
THE PUNISHMENT SHOULD BE FOR
WOMEN.
WOMEN. >> AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT
DONALD TRUMP WAS SAYING.
>> EXACTLY WHEN HE GOT TRAPPED
IN THE LOGIC --
>> BECAUSE HE’S NOT IN THE
ANTI-CHOICE WORLD SO HE DOESN’T
KNOW THE CUES AND HOW TO TALK
ABOUT IT WITHOUT SAYING THIS
QUIET PART OUT LOUD.
WHEN HE WAS ASKED BY CHRIS
MATTHEWS ABOUT THE PUNISHMENT BE
FOR WOMEN, HE SORT OF STUTTERED
BECAUSE WHEN YOU GET TO ARE WE
GOING TO JAIL WOMEN?
AND I THINK THE FEAR THAT I HAVE
BEFORE KAVANAUGH WAS CONFIRMED I
HAD NANCY AND ASKED HER
POINT-BLANK ARE WE GOING TO
START JAILING WOMEN, AND SHE
SAID THAT’S NOT AN IMMEDIATE
CONCERN, BUT THERE ARE WOMEN IN
JAIL IN EL SALVADOR FOR
MISCARRIAGES SO HOW ARE YOU
GOING TO BE ABLE TO TELL THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ABORTION
AND A MISCARRIAGE, AND ARE YOU
GOING TO BELIEVE I’M REALLY
MISCARRYING OR ARE YOU GOING TO
PUT ME IN PRISON LIKE THEY ARE
IN LATIN AMERICA IN SOME
COUNTRIES?
COUNTRIES? >> WOMEN HAVE ALSO BEEN ARRESTED
IN THE UNITED STATES FOR TAKING
COCAINE DURING THEIR
PREGNANCIES, FOR NOT USING A C
SECTION WHEN IT WAS ADVISABLE.
THIS HAS ALSO HAPPENED IN THE
STATES.
STATES. I THINK IT EXPOSES A FLAW IN
LOGIC HERE IN ALABAMA.
IF YOU BELIEVE A FETUS IS A
CHILD, A PERSON, I MEAN IF I
HAVE A CHILD AND I HIRE SOMEONE
TO KILL MY CHILD, I’M GOING TO
JAIL.
JAIL. >> AS YOU SHOULD BECAUSE YOU
WERE AN AGENT IN THAT.
>> EXACTLY.
>> EXACTLY. THAT’S ACCESSORY TO MURDER,
CONSPIRACY.
CONSPIRACY. >> I YET THERE’S AN
UNDERSTANDING THAT THE POLITICAL
OPTICS, PUTTING WOMEN IN PRISON
FOR THIS ARE SO TERRIBLE THEY
WON’T GO THERE EVEN THOUGH IT’S