Arizona Senate Republican candidate Blake Masters said his opponent, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), backed legislation that would allow for taxpayer funding of abortion until birth.
“Sen. Mark Kelly is the abortion radical. Sen. Kelly … sponsored a bill that would have mandated legal abortion nationwide, get this, up until the moment of birth. Take a second to think about how truly radical that is,” Master said during the abortion section of their debate Thursday.
Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, left, smiles as he stands on stage with Republican challenger Blake Masters, right, prior to a televised debate in Phoenix, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Masters added that the only similar countries with “no limits abortion policies” are China and North Korea and that America’s abortion policies should be more similar to every other “civilized country in the world.” The Arizona conservative added that he backs an Arizona law that bans abortions after 15 weeks.
Despite Kelly’s efforts to paint Masters as a radical, it appears that the Arizona Democrat harbors more radical policies on abortion.
Kelly has cosponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021, which goes well beyond Roe v. Wade. The legislation would eliminate conscious and religious exemptions and override state laws that require parental consent before a minor can receive an abortion.
Republican U.S. senatorial candidate Blake Masters speaks during his election night watch party on August 02, 2022, in Chandler, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released a poll that found Kelly’s backing of the bill is too extreme for a majority of Americans. The survey found:
- 54% of voters believe that abortion should always be illegal or be illegal except in the case of rape, incest, or a threat to the mother’s life, while 41% believe that abortion should always be legal.
- 73% of voters agree that an unborn baby is a human being.
- 65% of voters agree that taxpayer money should not be used to pay for abortions.
- Only 30% of voters agree that America should allow abortion at any time, on demand, while 61% disagree.
- 53% of voters would be more likely to vote for a Republican candidate who supports reasonable restrictions on abortion versus 28% of voters who would be more likely to support a Democrat candidate who supports unlimited abortion up until the moment of birth.
- 62% of voters agree that it is wrong to allow abortions after 15 weeks when unborn babies can suck their thumb and feel pain, while 30% disagree.
- 55% of voters believe the Supreme Court should allow states to ban late-term abortions, while 35% disagree.
Chairman Rick Scott (R-SC) said in a statement on Thursday, “Mark Kelly’s extreme abortion-on-demand bill allows taxpayer-funded abortion up until the moment of birth. He should focus on securing the border and lowering prices instead of forcing taxpayers to fund abortions at home and abroad.”
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.