Gary Johnson on abortion and the right to life

Former New Mexico governor and Libertarian Party front runner Gov. Johnson has pledged not to fund abortion. You can find that promise on his campaign website, under a section labeled “Abortion and the Right to Life.” It’s strange Johnson would label a section “right to life” when his statements on the topic shows he doesn’t believe in it.

In a 2011 Rolling Stone Magazine interview, Johnson noted:

“I support women’s rights to choose up until viability of the fetus. I’ve supported the notion of parental notification. I’ve supported counseling and I’ve supported the notion that public funds not be used for abortions. But I don’t want for a second to pretend that I have a better idea of how a woman should choose when it comes to this situation. Fundamentally this is a choice that a woman should have.”

Johnson insists that “the right of a woman to choose is the law of the land today” (apparently abortion’s the only thing women make choices about), so it “must be respected.” According to him, that “right” exists up until viability–usually said to be 24 weeks, although some children have survived delivery at 22.

Dr. Anthony Levatino has performed over twelve hundred abortions. In the video below, he describes what an abortion close to viability looks like.

2nd Trimester Surgical Abortion: Dilation and Evacuation (D & E)

After the amniotic fluid is removed, the abortionist uses a sopher clamp — a grasping instrument with rows of sharp “teeth” — to grasp and pull the baby’s arms and legs, tearing the limbs from the child’s body. The abortionist continues to grasp intestines, spine, heart, lungs, and any other limbs or body parts. The most difficult part of the procedure is usually finding, grasping and crushing the baby’s head. After removing pieces of the child’s skull, the abortionist uses a curette to scrape the uterus and remove the placenta and any remaining parts of the baby.