Newsom on GOP abortion policies: Rapists apparently have more rights than families

Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) went after Republicans for their abortion policies in a CNN interview Friday.

“Spare me, the Republican party and this ‘freedom gospel,’” Newsom said in a Friday interview on CNN’s “The Lead” with anchor Jake Tapper. 

“What about family freedom?” the California governor continued. “What about the right of people that wanna start a family? And think about this, Jake, you know this, everybody knows this, you saw the stats, 65,000 births due to rapes since [Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization], in 14 states. Apparently, what the Republican party is saying — is the rapists have more rights to bring those babies to birth, than families that are trying desperately to have the privilege you and I have had as fathers and parents.”

The statistic that Newsom cited on “births due to rapes” since the 2022 Supreme Court Dobbs decision, which overturned the right to abortion, comes from a study published in January. The study estimated that nearly 65,000 pregnancies associated with rape have occurred in 14 states that have enacted abortion bans following the Dobbs decision.

The study notes a conflict of interest with two of the researchers, Samuel L. Dickman and Kari White. Dickman serves as medical director at Planned Parenthood of Montana, and is a part of several lawsuits dealing with abortion access. White has previously been paid by groups that support abortion access.

Newsom’s comments also followed a recent decision by Alabama’s Supreme Court that found that the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act “applies to all unborn children, regardless of their location.” The ruling resulted in some health facilities in the Yellowhammer State to pause in vitro fertilization treatment.

“Even before birth, all human beings have the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing his glory,” Chief Justice Tom Parker wrote in a concurring opinion. “We believe that each human being, from the moment of conception, is made in the image of God, created by Him to reflect His likeness.” 

The campaign arm of Republicans in the Senate, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), urged candidates to support IVF following the Alabama decision in a letter to GOP candidates.

“There are zero Republican Senate candidates who support efforts to restrict access to fertility treatments. NRSC encourages Republican Senate candidates to clearly and concisely reject efforts by the government to restrict IVF,” the letter said.