The mainstream media has had a habit of seeking to target pro-life Republican candidates on the abortion issue, and Blake Masters, who is running to defeat Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), is no different. Masters was targeted by both sides for his decision to moderate his stance on abortion as featured on his campaign website, which was exposed by NBC News last week, and more recently made the rounds on Twitter.
Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters scrubs his website's policy page of tough abortion restrictions. https://t.co/OhEV6EGlVz
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 30, 2022
When it comes to Masters' campaign website, his policy agenda on abortion, under the "Make America Free Again" section, with a subheader of "Protect Babies, Don't Let Them Be Killed," still contains a wealth of information. With original emphasis it reads:
The Democrats lie about my views on abortion, because their candidate’s position is so extreme: Mark Kelly believes in nationwide abortion on-demand up until the moment of birth, with zero limits. That is truly shocking. 90% of Americans disagree with Mark Kelly’s radical position.
I believe that Roe v. Wade was a bad decision, and Dobbs returned the power where it belongs: to the state legislatures and to the people. I am hopeful we'll soon see a slate of new laws that respect and promote life — the lives of both the mother and the child.
In the U.S. Senate I will:
Support the Hyde Amendment, ensuring that no taxpayer funds ever fund abortions
Strip taxpayer funding from Planned Parenthood
Support a law or a Constitutional amendment that bans late term (third trimester) abortion and partial-birth abortion at the federal level
Support pro-life legislation, pregnancy centers, and programs that make it easier for pregnant women to support a family and decide to choose life
Only China and North Korea support the extreme no-limits abortion policies that Senator Mark Kelly supports. By banning extreme late-term abortion and otherwise letting states decide how to handle the issue, we would further protect life and put ourselves on par with all other civilized countries.
As a Catholic and a father of 3 beautiful boys, I know that life is sacred. The right to life is guaranteed by our founding documents, and we will fight to defend it.
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NBC News, though, in a move that is typical of the mainstream media that has hyped up only one party's position on abortion, did not similarly scrutinize Kelly's views as it did Masters' stances. It merely referred to an ad from Masters about Kelly's position on abortion, which is in line with the pro-abortion Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America issued a press release with statements from the group's president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, applauded the move."Blake Masters has rightfully centered his position on what is achievable now at the federal level: a limit on abortions at a point by which the unborn child can feel excruciating pain," she said.
Her statement also laid out the group's hopes for what a more pro-life Congress would achieve, should Republicans take back control of one or both chambers. "The Dobbs decision rightfully returned the issue of abortion back to the people to decide through their elected representatives – both in Congress and in the states. The guiding principle for pro-life legislators should be to enact the most ambitious life-saving legislation that can be passed reflecting the consensus of the people," Dannenfelser continued. "At the federal level, poll after poll shows strong consensus around protecting babies from painful late abortions. Should the GOP recapture the majority this November, the legislative proposal most likely to advance will address this consensus, establishing minimum federal protections for unborn children while allowing pro-life states to enact further protections that reflect the will of their constituents."
Under the Dobbs v. Jackson decision handed down in June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, thus allowing states to decide their own abortion laws.
In a statement for Townhall, Zachery Henry, Master's communications director, said that "Blake is 100% pro-life and greatly appreciates Marjorie’s comments — he values the work she and her organization does to save lives and shares her belief that this is fundamentally a states’ rights issue."
Several states have moved to ban or heavily restrict abortion as a result, with many having gone into effect last week. As Madeline highlighted, the South Carolina House of Representatives just approved a ban of their own.
The SBA Pro-Life America press release also drew a contrast between Masters and Sen. Kelly. "The only Senate candidate in Arizona who is wildly out of the mainstream is Senator Mark Kelly. Kelly has twice voted for the Abortion on Demand Until Birth Act that would force all 50 states to allow abortion without limits by wiping away nearly all pro-life limits at the state level, even protections for babies and women late in pregnancy," Dannenfelser pointed out.
Townhall has extensively pointed out the extremism of the legislation, the Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA), which has been vigorously promoted by the Biden administration. While supporters of the bill claim that it codifies Roe, Guy pointed out that it actually expands the strict confines of the decision.
The NBC News piece did not mention the WHPA until the last paragraph, misleadingly described as legislation that "would have prohibited states from banning and criminalizing abortion at any stage when a woman’s health was at risk, a determination that would need the approval of a health care provider, such as a doctor, a nurse or a physician assistant."
Polling shows that voters do favor abortion restrictions at the national level and in battleground states, out of line with the Democratic Party's position on abortion, which supports no legal limits.
In February, polling conducted by CRC Research on behalf of SBA Pro-Life America found that 53 percent of Arizona voters opposed such legislation that would "allow abortion up until birth in all 50 states, eliminating nearly all existing limits on abortion." Further, 56 percent of Independents and 27 percent of Democrats said they were less likely to vote for Sen. Kelly over his support for the bill. Arizona voters, like voters in other states, prefer a 15-week abortion limit, with 56 percent saying so. Just 27 percent support no limits.
The race between Masters and Kelly is considered a "Toss-up" and could ultimately be a factor in deciding which party controls the Senate.
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