“Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski entered a heated debate with Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie as he spoke out against late-term abortions.
Scarborough said Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s proposal to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy is “where most Americans are.” Brzezinski visibly rolled her eyes at Christie as he opposed New Jersey’s law allowing for babies to be aborted throughout all of the stages of pregnancy.
“Listen, Joe, I’ve argued for decades as a lawyer that Roe was wrong. There’s nothing in the Constitution that talks about this issue, it should be left to states and I think we should allow that to continue. We should allow each state, and most importantly its citizens, to weigh in on this issue,” Christie said, before Scarborough cut him off.
“Even so, if you’re President of the United States, and Wisconsin has an 1849 total ban of abortion and sit back and go, that’s cool?” Scarborough said.
“What I’m gonna say is the states have the right to do what they want to do, Joe. And yet, in my state of New Jersey, it’s abortion up to nine months. I don’t agree with that any more than I agree with banning abortion in these states the way some of them have done it,” Christie said.
Scarborough cut off Christie again to say he proved his point of the need for Republicans and Democrats to compromise on abortion. He then argued that abortions past the first trimester are rare. (RELATED: Chris Christie Visibly Angers ‘Morning Joe’ Hosts After Saying Late-Term Abortion Should Be Banned)
“It’s not an abortion at nine months,” Brzezinski claimed. “And there’s not a doctor that would do it and it only happens in extremely severe circumstances. You can come back and bring me the evidence of women across the state of New Jersey having abortions in the ninth month. It’s not happening, Chris, come on.”
“Mika, let me say this. Mika, it’s what the law is,” Christie said. “What we’re talking about is what the law should be.”
“I know, but,” Brzezinski said.
“No, it’s not but though,” Christie said.
“You said this the last time you were on and I let it go, I can’t let it go again. There’s no abortions in the ninth month,” Brzezinski said.
“You can continue to push back, but that’s what the law is, Mika,” Christie said.
He argued the legal process on abortion should be handled in the states and then the federal government can come to a consensus on where the line should be drawn federally.