Pete Buttigieg: ‘Freedom Doesn’t Exist’ Without Funding for Abortions

Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg defended his unlimited support for abortion in Iowa on Tuesday, arguing that freedom demanded taxpayer support for abortion.

“Part of American freedom is women’s freedom to make own reproductive decisions and freedom doesn’t exist if there is not funding for low-income abortion services,” Buttigieg said, according to CBS reporter Kate Smith.

The former South Bend mayor indicated that he would support Planned Parenthood if he was elected president.

Buttigieg frequently restates his position of supporting zero legal limits for abortion on the campaign trail, a position that has disappointed pro-life Democrats.

On Sunday, Buttigieg told a pro-life Democrat that there was no room for pro-life Democrats in the party.

“The best I can offer is that if we can’t agree on where to draw the line, the next best thing we can do is agree on who should draw the line, and in my view, it’s the woman who’s faced with that decision in her own life,” he said.

Buttigieg identifies as a “feminist” on the campaign trail who supports getting rid of the Hyde Amendment, a long-established Democrat compromise on preventing taxpayers from funding abortions.

Buttigieg also cites Scripture to defend his support for abortion, stating that life begins at “first breath” and not in the womb.