‘You Won’t Let Me Finish!’: Ohio Governor Grows Impatient with Kaitlan Collins During Clash on Abortion
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine joined CNN’s election night coverage on Tuesday where Kaitlan Collins peppered him with questions about abortion.
On Tuesday, voters in the Buckeye State will determine whether to enshrine reproductive rights in the state’s constitution. DeWine opposes the ballot measure, claiming it would allow abortion until the moment of birth.
“You’re saying it goes too far, that it would allow these late-term abortions,” Collins said. “Only about one percent of abortions in the U.S. according to the CDC happen after 21 weeks. But the language that’s in this amendment. It’s pretty short and straightforward. It says abortion may be prohibited after fetal viability, which as you know, is generally determined to be around 23 to 24 weeks. So it does say you can prohibit it.”
“There’s an exception to that, which you also have to know,” DeWine replied. “The exception says for the health of the mother. Health of the mother has been defined extremely broadly by the United States Supreme Court in an abortion case. And so, the exception really takes over everything. And so, it would allow an abortion right up until the time of birth.”
The host seized on DeWine’s comments:
COLLINS: You’re talking about the health of the mother being broadly determined. That’s a determination made by a doctor, who, they have a duty to follow medical science. Do they not?
DEWINE: It’s made by the person at the Planned Parenthood clinic, who performs abortion after abortion every single day.
COLLINS: Which is a doctor.
DEWINE: Just let me finish. That person is making that decision and they’re the person who– and there’s no, under this, there’s absolutely no appeal. You look at the language in this constitutional amendment. The state may not interfere directly, interfere indirectly, and it goes on and on. And then it has this huge exception for the health of the mother. Look at the Supreme Court decision that was handed down where they defined health of the mother. It could be a question of poverty. It could be a question of, “I have too many children.” It could be any number of different things. That’s what the United States Supreme Court said. And so in all likelihood, that’s what we will end up with in Ohio.
COLLINS: But Governor, this amendment is short. It’s only about 200 words. It doesn’t say anything about finances and it also doesn’t say anything about parental consent – something that you just said–
DEWINE: I just explained to you–
[CROSSTALK]
[…]
COLLINS: But Governor, I’ve got to push back on what you said about the finances being considered when a doctor is considering the health of a mother, who is considering having an abortion here. Can you name one instance where that has ever happened?
DEWINE: Look, all I know is what the United States Supreme Court said. And you told me you’ve read the same decision and you know it’s extremely broad. Look, even people–
COLLINS: But has that ever happened where someone got an abortion because they were–
DEWINE: You won’t let me finish!
COLLINS: –citing their finances, Governor?
DEWINE: You will not let me finish. Look, the Supreme Court of the United States has defined this extremely broadly. And so it’s very, very clear that even people who are pro-choice, who are in favor of issue one, many of them will admit, yes, this will allow an abortion anytime.
Watch above via CNN.
