Debate: Democrat Maggie Hassan Supports Extreme Federal Takeover of Abortion Regulations

Sen. Maggie Hassan, N.H., listens to testimony from Customs and Border Patrol Acting Commi
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan stated during her debate Thursday against Don Bolduc, her Republican opponent in the race for New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate seat, that she supports an extreme federal takeover of abortion regulations.

When one of the debate hosts asked if the government should play any role in the regulation of women being able to have an abortion, the senator explained, “When the government tries to do that, it can cost women their lives, as we have seen in some states.”

She stated that it is “very, very concerning” that some people “don’t trust women and their doctors to do, to make these very complex and often tragic decisions together.”

However, the host then pressed Hassan about supporting the “Women’s Health Protection Act,” an extreme takeover of abortion regulations on the federal level. The host notes, “It leaves the door open for states to limit abortion after viability.”

“I’m a sponsor of that law. I support that law,” Hassan emphasized about the piece of legislation, where one of the main tenets of the bill is to support late-term abortions — up until the moment of birth — which is well past the point of viability as the host mentioned.

“It would be my preference that neither legislators in the United States Senate nor in the state legislatures substitute their judgment in complex, difficult decisions for woman and their doctors,” Hassan added. “I also think it’s really important that we allow doctors to do their jobs without the fear of criminal prosecution.”

The legislation, which passed the House and eventually failed in the Senate after getting only 46 votes, is an extreme federal takeover of abortion regulation. It would ultimately prohibit abortion restrictions or bans.

The Women’s Health Protection Act, as summarized by the Catholic News Agency states:

The WHPA would prohibit abortion restrictions or bans “that are more burdensome than those restrictions imposed on medically comparable procedures, do not significantly advance reproductive health or the safety of abortion services, and make abortion services more difficult to access.”

The act’s text lists a series of specific restrictions it would do away with, on everything from limitations on telemedicine to restrictions around viability, which the act defines as the point when a fetus can survive outside the womb — determined by “the good-faith medical judgment of the treating health care provider.”

The New Hampshire Senate election, along with other races throughout the country, takes place on November 8.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.

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