UPDATE: During a debate hosted by the Denver Post last night, Udall called focus on his partial birth abortion support a "diversion."
Democrat Senator Mark Udall is locked in a tight race with Republican Congressman Cory Gardner in Colorado and barely hanging onto his seat. For months, Udall's campaign has focused on "women's issues" like contraception and abortion. Udall even accused Gardner of supporting a birth control ban, when in fact he wants to expand access for women by making contraception over-the-counter. But when you get past the left's war on women rhetoric, you'll find that Udall, not Gardner, is the extremist when it comes to women's health.
Currently women in Colorado can choose to have an elective abortion up to six months into their pregnancy. The age of viability for a baby inside the womb can be as early as five months. Back in 2000, Udall voted against a federal partial birth abortion ban. In a recent interview with Fox 31's Eli Stokols, Udall defended his vote and argued Roe v. Wade backs the extreme position that partial birth abortion should be legal. He implied that because partial birth abortions are "very seldom," restrictions aren't necessary. When Stokols specifically pressed him for his position on not only late-term abortion but also the legality of sex-selective abortion, Udall doubled down on his position.
"I support Roe v. Wade," Udall said. "Roe v. Wade is long settled law. Roe v. Wade allows the states Eli to make their decisions about what the right balance is and we have the right balance here in Colorado."
"As you know, partial birth abortion is conducted very seldom," he continued.
As mentioned by Stokols, Udall is overwhelmingly out of step with the majority of Americans on the issue of partial birth abortions starting at three months of pregnancy. From Gallup:
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One of the clearest messages from Gallup trends is that Americans oppose late-term abortion.
Further, Udall is at odds with women on the issue of late-term abortion. A Quinnipiac poll from last year shows women back abortion bans after five months by a larger margin than men.
Meanwhile over in North Carolina Democrat Senator Kay Hagan is getting slammed for her extreme abortion position by $620,000 in television ads purchased by the pro-life Women Speak Out PAC. Pro-life voters are key in tipping that race in favor of Republican Thom Tillis.
“Senator Hagan’s support for taxpayer funded abortion and late term abortion after five months flies in the face of mainstream North Carolinians who, like the majority of all Americans, support this compassionate legislation to protect women and their babies from late abortion,” Women Speak Out PAC Director Tami Fitzgerald said in a statement. “Polling released yesterday shows that 59 percent of undecided voters who care about the abortion issue are pro-life. Our efforts could make the difference for pro-life Thom Tillis in this race.”
Democrats have been trying to beat Republicans over the head with the women's health issue, but their own extreme positions on late-term abortion might end up hurting them on Election Day.
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