by Former President Donald Trump wrongly claimed during tuesday evening presidential debate that Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, supports the “execution” of babies after birth, repeating previous false claims that Democrats support killing babies.
The Republican candidate made the claim when ABC host Linsey Davis asked why he had changed his position in support Six-week abortion ban in Florida.
“Her vice-presidential pick says abortion in the ninth month is absolutely fine. He also says execution after birth — it’s execution, no longer abortion, because the baby is born — is OK,” Trump said.
Infanticide is illegal in every state, and Harris and Walz have never supported it. Here’s what we know about the claim, and where Harris and Walz stand on abortion.
A History of False Claims
Trump has a history of falsely claiming that Democrats support killing babies after birth. At a recent rally in Charlotte, Trump said Harris supports abortion “up until birth, and even after birth.”
During the debate, Trump repeated a similar claim. At various points, he referred to the “former governor of Virginia” and the “former governor of West Virginia,” who, Trump alleged, “said we should set the baby aside and then decide what we want to do with the baby.”
Trump appeared to be talking about former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat and physician, who gave a radio interview in 2019 in which he discussed a hypothetical scenario in which a fetus has severe malformations or is not viable outside the womb. In such a case, Northam said, “the baby would be delivered, the baby would be kept comfortable, the baby would be resuscitated if that is what the mother and the family wanted.”
The comments prompted a fierce response from Republicans, including then-Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, who accused Northam of supporting “live birth abortions.” In response, Northam said, “I have dedicated my life to caring for children and any insinuation otherwise is outrageous and disgusting.”
Walz and Harris on abortion
Vice President Harris has supported restoring Roe v. Wade standards, which protected abortion rights until the fetus is viable outside the womb, typically around six months of pregnancy. The Biden-Harris administration supported the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022, which would have prevented states from banning abortions before fetal viability or requiring additional testing or waiting periods, though the legislation failed to pass the Senate.
In recent interviews on “Face the Nation,” both said Haris And Waltz declined to provide details on how far into pregnancy they believed abortions should be allowed.
When asked about it during the debate, Harris said, “I absolutely support restoring the protections of Roe v. Wade. And as you rightly pointed out, there is no woman in America who carries a pregnancy to term and asks for an abortion. That doesn’t happen.”
As Governor, Walz signed the Protect Reproductive Options Act (PRO Act) in 2023, which codifies abortion access in Minnesota. It is one of the few states in a country where abortions are not prohibited after they reach viability.
According to the most recent CDC data, less than 1% of abortions nationwide occur after 20 weeks of pregnancy. In Minnesota, Department of Health data showed that in 2022, only two abortions occurred between 25 and 30 weeks, and none occurred after 30 weeks. Late-stage abortions are typically performed to save the life of the mother or when families are faced with situations where it is unlikely the fetus will survive long after birth.
Trump on abortion
Throughout his campaign, Trump emphasized the appointment of three conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, which led to the overturning Roe v. Wade and the end of the constitutional right to abortion.
As president, Trump supported legislation that included a 20-week federal ban on abortion, with some exceptions. However, during the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump told reporters he wouldn’t sign a federal ban and said each state should be able to restrict abortion as it sees fit.
Trump said on August 30 that he… vote to maintain Florida’s six-week abortion ban. His statement on the matter came just a day after he criticized the law in an interview and was criticized by abortion opponents.
Florida has a proposal on the ballot in November that would protect abortion rights before fetal viability in the state. It is one of 10 states where the issue of abortion will be on the ballot.
