Sen. Josh Hawley: States' tough abortion laws are response to Democrats' 'extremism'
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday defended states' efforts to pass restrictive abortion laws, calling them a "direct response to the extremism" of measures approved in Democratically-led states.
This week, Alabama passed a bill banning abortions in nearly all cases. And on Thursday, the Missouri state Senate passed a bill that prohibits abortions after eight weeks, which abortion-rights advocates say is before many women realize that they are pregnant. The Missouri House is expected to pass the legislation and Republican Gov. Mike Parson has indicated he will sign it.
In an interview with Fox News, Hawley said the move by his state is a reaction to states that have approved liberal abortion laws. In January, New York approved a law that allows abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy if it's necessary to protect the mother's life or health or there's an "absence of fetal viability."
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Opponents like Hawley argue that those type of exceptions, which require a doctor's approval, effectively legalize late-term abortions until the moment of birth.
The Republican said on "Fox & Friends" that the legislation in his state is a reaction to such measures.
"It's just incredible the extremism that we're seeing. And I think you're seeing these states responding," Hawley said. He said he thought the Supreme Court "will ultimately have to weigh in."
"Democrat politicians are actually advocating abortion in the final weeks of pregnancy," he said. "These are policies that only a few countries in the world like Iran, like China, allow. We’ve got to stop this kind of extremism."
Hawley claimed that Democrats have approved laws that would "allow a baby to born and then killed after birth." That argument has been assailed as maliciously false by many medical professionals.
Contributing: Jon Campbell, Albany Bureau; Austin Huguelet, Springfield News-Leader; Brian Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser; The Associated Press
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sen. Josh Hawley: States' tough abortion laws are response to Democrats' 'extremism'
