Pro-life group demands ABC issue correction over abortion fact check during debate

A pro-life group on Wednesday sent a letter to ABC, requesting that it issue a correction regarding its fact-check of an abortion comment made by former President Donald Trump during Tuesday's presidential debate.

Trump claimed that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says "abortion in the ninth month is absolutely fine," and that some babies survive an attempted abortion and then die, which is "not okay with me." However, moderator Linsey Davis quickly shot back that "there is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it's born."

The former president's comment appears to reference a statement by then-Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's statement in 2019 that sometimes a baby is born alive following an abortion attempt and then a discussion takes place between the baby's parents and doctors about whether to provide life-saving care.

"The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother," Northam said, per Fox News.

There have also been instances reported by the Department of Health in Walz's home state where babies are born alive after attempted abortions and then not given any life-saving care, even as recently as 2021. 

The pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America told ABC in a letter that the fact-check was inaccurate and encouraged the network to meet with survivors of attempted abortions.

"[Davis's] statement tragically ignores the reality of babies who survive failed, late-term abortions but are denied basic medical care and left to die," Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser wrote. "We are writing to request a swift correction from Ms. Davis and ABC News. It is undeniable that babies are born in this country after failed abortions ... A correction from the network and the debate moderators is an important first step in acknowledging this fact."

The letter also cited a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that "between 2003 and 2014, around 143 babies died after being born alive following failed abortions." 

"It’s also a fact that, as a U.S. senator, Kamala Harris voted against protections for babies born alive after failed abortions. And as a member of Congress, her running mate Tim Walz even issued a public apology for ‘accidentally’ voting for said legislation after he previously voted against it," Dannenfelser wrote.

Other outlets, including NPR, have also noted that abortions after birth are currently illegal in all 50 states. 

“Nowhere in America is a woman carrying a pregnancy to term and asking for an abortion," Vice President Kamala Harris said during the debate. "That isn’t happening; it’s insulting to the women of America."

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.