Arizona’s gubernatorial nominees sparred over abortion on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, painting each other as extremists on the issue.
Former television news anchor Kari Lake (R) and Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) are locked in a close contest for Arizona’s governorship, and both sat down with guest moderator Major Garrett for separate interviews with a month to go until the election.
“When abortion was first presented, they said it should be rare, safe and legal,” said Lake. “And now it’s become anything but rare. In Katie Hobbs’s world — and you can ask her about this, I understand she’s coming up next — they’re for abortion right up until birth.”
“Kari Lake is entirely misconstruing my position on this issue,” Hobbs said moments later. “You and I both know that late-term abortion is extremely rare.”
Hobbs went on to claim Lake’s attacks were meant to distract from the Republican’s own unpopular views on abortion, saying Lake would enact a complete abortion ban in Arizona.
“Her position is the one that’s extreme,” said Hobbs. “It’s out of touch with where the majority of Arizonans are who support access to safe and legal abortion. And under her administration, women would not be safe.”
During Lake’s interview on CBS, she declined to say if she would push for abortion restrictions beyond a 15-week ban passed by the state leiglsature earlier this year and signed into law by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R).
Lake said she wanted to make resources available to women desiring abortions so they can keep their baby or put them up for adoption rather than going through with the procedure.
“I will uphold the law, whatever that law is, and I want to see to it that we’ve saved more lives,” Lake said. “Right now, the Democrats have started pushing so far from that rare but safe to anything goes.”
An alliance of pro-abortion groups last week filed a lawsuit challenging the state’s dueling abortion laws.
A state judge last month permitted a strict abortion ban, which was enacted in 1864 but blocked for nearly 50 years when Roe v. Wade was legal precedent, to go into effect days before the state’s new 15-week ban was implemented.
The groups have argued the court should clarify what restrictions are in place, urging the judge to opt with the newer, more lenient law.