Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says abortion should always be a woman’s choice—even up until birth.
“I believe we should leave it to the woman—we shouldn’t have government involved,” Mr. Kennedy told former ESPN anchor Sage Steele on the May 9 episode of her podcast.
“Even if it’s full-term?” Ms. Steele pressed.
“Even if it’s full-term,” he confirmed.
While the candidate stressed that he personally does not like abortion, he said he does not trust the government “to have jurisdiction over people’s bodies.”
That stance aligns with Mr. Kennedy’s longtime support for medical freedom and bodily autonomy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he attracted public attention with his vocal opposition to vaccine and mask mandates.
Noting that many women choose abortion for economic reasons, he said he felt the legislative emphasis should be on assisting women in that situation so that abortion “is never a consideration.”
Mr. Kennedy’s comments set off a firestorm on social media with conservatives and pro-life organizations criticizing the notion of killing a full-term baby.
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has exposed himself as a true extremist. He is no different from Joe Biden or Kamala Harris when it comes to supporting brutal abortions at any time for any reason, even when babies in the womb feel pain, with zero limits or exceptions,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement.
“Kennedy stands with the world’s oppressive regimes against the consensus of Americans,” she continued. “He would use the power of the federal government to wipe out protections for life in the states and impose unlimited abortion on demand all the way up to ‘full term,’ as he puts it, everywhere in America. That makes him unacceptable to millions of pro-life voters nationwide.”
Mr. Kennedy’s running mate, Nicole Shanahan, during an episode of “The Sage Steele Show”—a week before Mr. Kennedy’s interview aired—was asked about Mr. Kennedy’s position.
“That is not Bobby’s position, as I understand it,” Ms. Shanahan said of allowing abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. “My understanding with Bobby’s position is that, you know, every abortion is a tragedy and loss of life. My understanding is that he absolutely believes in limits on abortion. And we’ve talked about this,” Ms. Shanahan said.
Asked about Mr. Kennedy’s position, campaign press secretary Stefanie Spear told The Epoch Times that Mr. Kennedy believes abortion is “a tragedy” and that late-term abortions are “horrifying.”
“He believes that the mother has the final say, and moral responsibility, in such decisions,” Ms. Spear wrote in an emailed statement. “He is committed to reducing the abortion rate by supporting mothers and families, and implementing universally affordable child care.”
Democrats have signaled their intention to highlight abortion this fall as a means of driving their base to the polls. While some Republican candidates have backed away from the issue at the urging of former President Donald Trump, the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee, many conservatives still consider opposing abortion to be one of their top ballot-box priorities.
In past conversations with The Epoch Times, Mr. Kennedy has acknowledged that his position on the issue could cost him conservative votes.
He added, though, that he felt most Americans base their votes on a range of issues and are most concerned about the direction of the country.
“I will talk to people regardless of their views and will assure them that I will listen to them, even if they don’t vote for me.”
