Vance probably thought he’d get nothing but softballs teed up for him to attack opponent Tim Ryan during a Fox News appearance Thursday. But asking about exceptions to an abortion ban is hardly any kind of gotcha.
Yet Vance was clearly clueless about how to answer.
First up, co-anchor John Roberts, who is no liberal mouthpiece. He noted that Vance supports Sen. Lindsey Graham’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. “But where do you come down on the issue of exceptions to that, you know, in the case of rape, incest or other particular exceptions?” Roberts asked.
Vance’s first bob and weave was to say “of course you have to have some reasonable exceptions” but he would not or could not say what they were.
“So, what’s reasonable to you?” Roberts asked.
Vance tried to avoid the question again. “I just want to save as many lives as possible,” he said. But he could not even say he wants to save the life of a mother endangered by a pregnancy. Instead, he blathered about making it affordable to have a baby or to use adoption services “if they need to.” Then he quickly segued to suggesting that women are so upset about crime and inflation they’ll vote for him anyway.
So, Roberts tried again. “What exceptions are reasonable to you?” he pressed.
Vance dodged again. “It’s always hard to say every single possible exception,” Vance claimed, even though he obviously didn’t want to say even one. Then he blah-blahed about trying “to protect as many unborn babies as possible” again. This time, he added that he wants it left up to the states. Which is not what Graham is proposing after 15 weeks.
Co-anchor Sandra Smith gave him “one last chance” to say “what those exceptions might be.”
Vance started stuttering. Finally, he got out that “you’ve got to make sure that, you know, you have life of the mother protected. There are other exceptions as well.” But he was still unwilling and/or unable to say what those exceptions are. “My view is we want to save as many lives as is possible," he reiterated.
Sure he does. Unless saving lives means putting some restrictions on guns, which he opposes.
