RFK Jr. Abortion Comment Highlights Unseen Fissures Within Democrat Party

Earlier this month, Democrat presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., caused a major stir in the political media when he announced to voters in Iowa that he was in favor of federal restrictions on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Although his campaign quickly walked back the comment, it nonetheless signaled that there may yet be some Democrats willing to challenge the party’s increasingly extreme stance on abortion, and perhaps other issues of importance to voters as well.

Although there is virtually zero chance that Democrat presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., will defeat Joe Biden and secure his party’s nomination next year, his presence in the race has exposed just how shaky Biden’s base of support is.

Since his campaign launch in April, Kennedy has openly challenged a wide slate of progressive orthodoxies, ranging from his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccines to speaking out against Big Tech censorship and saying the United States should stop sending more weapons and funding to Ukraine. The fact that more than 10 percent of Democrat primary voters support Kennedy even in the face of a concerted media effort to slander and discredit him demonstrates that there is a tangible desire among Democrats for a more moderate party platform.

Perhaps Kennedy’s most notable departure from conventional left-wing thinking came earlier this month, when he shocked his party by publicly backing federal protections for unborn life after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

After being asked by a reporter whether he would seek to codify Roe v. Wade at the federal level, Kennedy said the following: “I believe that a decision to abort a child should be up to the woman during the first three months”—stating that he would sign a law protecting unborn babies after approximately 15 weeks. “Once a child is viable outside the womb,” he continued, “I think, then, a state has an interest in protecting that child.”

Given that the overwhelming majority of Democrat candidates and elected officials support the right to unlimited abortion-on-demand, Kennedy’s statement took a tremendous amount of courage. Though most conservative and pro-life voters would of course likely prefer tighter restrictions on abortion (many pro-lifers support exceptions only when the life of the mother is in danger, while others also support exceptions for rape and incest), the mere fact that a Democrat presidential candidate in 2023 has openly advocated for federal protections for the unborn should be taken as a hopeful sign for everyone who values the sanctity of life.

Additionally, Kennedy’s use of the word “child” when discussing abortion is an implicit rejection of the left’s claim that an unborn baby is merely a “clump of cells” or “blob of tissue” undeserving of basic legal protections. Though some conservative commentators were quick to note the logical inconsistencies inherent in Kennedy’s claims (pointing to the fact that if an unborn baby is truly a “child,” it should still be worthy of protection before it is viable outside the womb), his willingness to acknowledge preborn infants as children shows that he, unlike virtually everyone else in his party, understands the moral gravity of abortion—and at least on some level, values the God-given right to life.

Predictably, the corporate media and Democrat Party officials responded with outrage. “Republicans can attempt to dress Kennedy up as a Democrat but it’s still just lipstick on a pig,” said one Democrat operative. “RFK Jr. has never tried to appeal to Democrats or the party’s primary voters,” another Democrat strategist said. “His stance on abortion access runs an affront to not only the Democratic Party but the majority of Americans regardless of partisan stripe.”

But the facts suggest that the Democrat Party’s increasing radicalism on abortion is far from a popular stance.

Polling indicates more than 70 percent of voters, regardless of party, believe that abortion should be restricted to the first three months of pregnancy—precisely the same restrictions Kennedy backed earlier this month. Additionally, only 10 percent of voters support the left’s position of abortion-on-demand up until the point of birth, which serves as additional proof that the American people overwhelmingly reject the extreme position that has come to define the Democrat Party platform.

Unfortunately, Kennedy soon caved and reversed his popular position on abortion amid pressure from the left-wing media and Democrat establishment. After clearly stating that he would indeed support federal protection for babies after 15 weeks, his campaign issued a statement saying he “misunderstood the question” and “Mr. Kennedy’s position on abortion is that it is always the woman’s right to choose.”

Kennedy’s campaign has become a hopeful sign that Democrat voters are open to a more moderate path. For this reason, it is not surprising that the left-wing ruling class has branded Kennedy as a “dangerous” enemy in an effort to sink his campaign.

But if Kennedy truly wants his party back, as he has repeatedly stated, acquiescence to the left-wing media is not the answer. A surprising number of Democrat voters, too, are craving a return to normalcy and moderation within their party’s ranks. If this remains Kennedy’s goal, it is not too late for him to make his presence known and stand up to the Democrat establishment.

Aaron Flanigan is the pen name of a writer in Washington, D.C.