Representative Susan Wild (D-PA) made some stunning remarks regarding abortion during a town hall on May 24 in Easton, Pennsylvania, with constituents in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District. At one point, her remarks even signaled potential support for infanticide, especially since she doesn't correct a constituent who does.
.@RepSusanWild on late-term abortions:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 1, 2022
"Any doctor is going to deliver that baby...then what happens to that baby is another matter."
On aborting babies with down syndrome: "Different sets of parents are going to respond differently and honestly I believe that is their choice." pic.twitter.com/dPmQO6eeiv
The congresswoman was asked if she's in favor of abortions happening as the last month of pregnancy approaches. "I do not think it should be allowed," she said. As she refused to go into whether or not those abortions happen, other attendees engaged in a back-and-forth, leading to comments that could signal support for infanticide.
"I suspect that any doctor is going to deliver that baby, whatever the outcome might be, right? But that should be the outcome. And then what happens to that baby is another matter. And, you know, whether they...," she trails off.
An audience member can then be heard saying that "then that becomes the choice of the parents." Rep. Wild says, "Whether they intervene with extra, you know, extraordinary means."
Earlier in the clip, Rep. Wild sticks to the typical pro-abortion talking point that "I don't think the government belongs in anybody's doctor's office" as a way to signal she is in favor of abortion without limits. "I just don't think that's an appropriate place for the government to be," she continues. The congresswoman also referenced getting her tubes tied as something she didn't want the government telling her she could or could not do. The congresswoman had been asked directly, "If you have any limits on abortion, and if so, what are they?"
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There's plenty to unpack here.
It has been a position of the Democratic Party to support infanticide at the federal and state level. For years, Democrats in Congress have prevented the passage of the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would add enforcement to legal protections for babies born alive from abortions. It has failed to gain enough Democratic votes to pass even when Republicans have controlled the Senate, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has refused to allow it to come up for a vote in the House. There's currently a discharge petition in the works to force a vote. Rep. Wild has not signed on.
Ralph Northam, Virginia's Democratic governor from 2018 to January 2022, caused controversy in 2019 when he endorsed infanticide. "If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen," he said. "The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother."
Steve Bullock, as governor of Montana in 2019, voted such legislation. Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina also vetoed legislation that same year.
Late-term abortions do happen, and most of them happen for reasons other than the medical necessity that pro-abortion Democrats love to run with, such as the health or life of the mother or a fetal abnormality. Most of them are for socioeconomic reasons, such as the woman didn't know she was pregnant in time or had a difficult time deciding or making arrangements.
While Rep. Wild tries to steer the conversation many times and appears uncomfortable throughout, she does reference a diagnosis in utero of Down syndrome as to why women have abortions due to fetal abnormality.
"I think you could ask any group, you know, a group of parents if you had this situation in the third month of pregnancy and you found out your child was going, let's just say, Down syndrome, different people, different sets of parents are going to respond differently. And honestly, I believe that that is their choice," Rep. Wild said.
Gallup polling from 2018 showed that Americans are evenly split on this issue, with 49 percent favoring such an abortion being legal in the first three months of pregnancy, while 48 percent say it should be illegal. That number changes dramatically when it comes to the last three months of pregnancy, with 68 percent saying it should be illegal.
Abortion bans due to discriminatory reasons such as if the child has Down syndrome or due to sex or race have gained popularity at the state level over the years.
Townhall reached out to Rep. Wild's office for comment, asking if the congresswoman wished to offer clarification, but did not hear back before publication.
Cook Political Report recently changed their prediction on Rep. Wild's seat from "Toss Up" to "Lean Republican." She will face Republican candidate Lisa Scheller in the general election.
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