Debate on Fox News’ The Five got heated on Wednesday, as Geraldo Rivera and Greg Gutfeld exchanged unpleasantries while discussing abortion.
On Monday, Politico published the leaked draft of a pending Supreme Court opinion slated to overturn Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right to abortion. Written by Justice Samuel Alito, the draft says the issue should be left for the states to decide.
Rivera, who is pro-choice, slammed Republicans who have reacted by expressing outrage at the leak instead of at the impact it will have on women. He also accused Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett of lying at their Senate nomination hearings about how they view Roe.
“What this shows is that the Senate confirmation process by which a nominee is interrogated by both parties and give their reasons why they are fit to be on the high court, is absolutely deeply flawed,” Rivera said.
“Why? Because these nominees lied. They go before the Senate of the United States, they swear that they are going to be judicious and good shepherds of the court and its impartiality in the importance it has in the American society, and that the stare decisis says, that the precedent of these cases is well established,” he argued.
(While Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett did note that Roe is established precedent during their hearings, they did not state how they would rule if a challenge to the case were to come before the court. Indeed, that would be highly unusual.)
Rivera noted his three daughters live in Ohio, whose governor has said he will aim to resurrect a so-called “fetal heartbeat” bill in the event Roe is overturned.
“What am I going to tell my daughters now?” Rivera said. “That they don’t have control over their body? That they can’t make those choices for themselves?”
Gutfeld chimed in to say the pro-life movement’s case is more convincing because it is simpler.
“You ask somebody why they’re pro-life, they will say because abortion takes a life and we believe life is sacred,” Gutfeld said. “You could disagree with that, but you can’t disagree with the simplicity of it.”
He then stated the pro-choice case as being, “I prefer freedom over fetuses.”
“My body, my choice. How much simpler could you get?” Rivera interrupted.
“Let me finish,” Gutfeld protested. “You already did your ad hominem.”
“Ad hominem? It was not,” Rivera shot back.
“You insulted a few people there,” replied Gutfeld, before claiming liberals view abortion as “something to celebrate, to cherish.”
Rivera interrupted, prompting this exchange:
RIVERA: Oh, that’s baloney. That’s baloney.
GUTFELD: I’ll give you evidence.
RIVERA: Cherish the wire hanger stuck up their privates trying to get–
GUTFELD: The unborn child becomes–
[CROSSTALK]
GUTFELD: This is exactly what I expected.
RIVERA: You are arrogant.
GUTFELD: Go for it, Geraldo. Come on, keep going. You’re making a fool of yourself.
RIVERA: You know something, you insulting punk?
GUTFELD: Hah! Oh, am I your new Bongino?
RIVERA: If you want that role.
Gutfeld was referencing Fox News weekend host Dan Boningo, with whom Rivera has battled numerous times on the network.
Watch above via Fox News.
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