Democratic presidential hopeful Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) broke with other members of her party when she revealed that she believed t...
Democratic presidential hopeful Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) broke with other members of her party when she revealed that she believed that abortion should be limited, with exceptions, to before the start of a pregnancy's third trimester. She also criticized her fellow Democrats for supporting open borders policies.
What did she say?
During an interview Monday, libertarian host Dave Rubin asked Gabbard to clarify her position on abortion. Rubin noted that Gabbard used to be pro-life and admitted that he was becoming more pro-life due to the recently radical abortion policies espoused by members of the Democratic Party.
Gabbard said that her own position had changed along with her "understanding of the role of government." She said she took "a more libertarian position on this issue: that government really shouldn't be in that place of dictating to a woman the choice that she should make."
"I think that there should be some restrictions, though," she continued. "You know, for me personally, I would not make that choice for myself, but I don't believe that I should be telling anyone else the kinds of decisions that they should make for themselves or for their family. And, therefore, a woman should have a right to choose. And I will stand up and protect her right to do so."
She also said that she believed that abortion should be restricted at "the third trimester, unless a woman's life or severe consequences is at risk, then there shouldn't be an abortion in the third trimester."
This view is in contrast to her fellow Democratic candidates, including South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who argued Friday that a baby was not alive until it had taken its first breath.
Historically, Gabbard has made conflicting statements about her position on abortion. According to National Review, she initially claimed to be pro-life, but currently has a 100 percent rating from Planned Parenthood. She also said during this interview that her views on abortion were "libertarian," yet she supports federal funding of abortion.
In a tweet Tuesday morning, Rubin said that "old school liberals, libertarians and conservatives" had told him that while they "don't agree with her [Gabbard] 100%," they "respect her." Progressives, however, he said had been "screeching that she's a sell-out, evil, right-wing maniac."
What about open borders?
Gabbard also criticized her fellow candidates for pushing for what she saw as open borders policies on immigration.
"I don't support open borders," she said. "Without secure borders, we don't really have a country and while some of the other Democratic candidates will say, 'Well, open borders, that's a conservative argument and that's not really what's being advocated for,' if you look at some of the practical implications of some of the things they are pushing for, it is essentially open borders."
She said that she thought the country needed secure borders, although she did not believe that President Trump's proposed border wall across the entire southern border was the most effective way to accomplish this goal.
What are Gabbard's chances in 2020?
According to the Real Clear Politics average, Gabbard is currently polling at 1.7 percent. That's lower than all Democratic candidates this cycle except for Amy Klobuchar (1 percent), Julian Castro (0.8 percent), Bill de Blasio (0.8 percent), and Tom Steyer (0.5 percent).
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