AL Democratic U.S. Senate Hopeful Doug Jones: I’m Pro-Abortion Up Until ‘Once a Baby Is Born’

Wednesday on MSNBC’s “MTP Daily,” Alabama Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Doug Jones told host Chuck Todd he was opposed to any restrictions on abortion all the way up until the birth of the child.

Todd asked the former Clinton U.S. Attorney Doug Jones, the Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate special election, about his views on the issue, to which Jones replied by touting his “pro-choice” bona fides.

Partial transcript as follows:

TODD: All right. Many Democrats in the South get tripped up in a couple of cultural issues. One is guns, one is abortion. Let me ask you on abortion, what are the limitations that you believe should be in the law when it comes to an abortion?

JONES: Well, look, I am a firm believer that a woman should have the freedom to choose what happens to her own body. And I’m going to stand up for that and I’m going to make sure that that continues to happen.

I want to make sure that as we go forward, people have access to contraception, they have access to the abortion that they might need, if that’s what they choose to do. I think that that’s going to be an issue that we can work with and talk to people about from both sides of the aisle. That’s one of those issues that I think —

TODD: But you wouldn’t legislate — so, you wouldn’t be in favor of legislation that said, ban abortion after 20 weeks or something like that?

JONES: I’m not in favor of anything that is going to infringe on a woman’s right and her freedom to choose. That’s just the position that I’ve had for many years. It’s a position I continue to have.

But when those people — I want to make sure that people understand that once a baby is born, I’m going to be there for that child. That’s where I become a right to lifer.

Jones faces former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore on December 12 for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Jeff Sessions.

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor