2019: Oz Said Abortion Was A “Hard Issue For Everybody” But That He Would Not “Interfere With Everyone Else’s Stuff” And Would Not Force His View Onto Others. According To the Daily Beast, “Oz conceded that abortion ‘is a hard issue for everybody,’ and he said that, on ‘a personal level,’ he disliked abortion and would not want anyone in his family to have one. But he took a common pro-choice position in 2019 that his belief should not be forced onto others. He would not want to ‘interfere with everyone else’s stuff,’ he said, ‘because it’s hard enough to get into life as it is.’” [Daily Beast, 12/7/21]
A Friend Of Oz Claimed That Oz Said He Was “Pro-Life, But I’m Not Against A Woman’s Right To Choose.” According to Intelligencer, “Besides, other friends, citing their disappointment that Dr. Oz would align himself with a Republican Party defined by the January 6 siege on the United States Capitol, had told me things that presented more obvious reasons for the candidate to panic. ‘I love Mehmet, but I’m really pissed,’ one of them said. ‘I would have loved to see normal Republicans, but there’s no way you can be normal now. This would end his career in a second because Republicans would hate it, but it’s Lisa who is pro-life. Mehmet once told me, ‘I’m pro-life, but I’m not against a woman’s right to choose” [[New York Magazine, 12/31/21]
2008: Oz Said “We Should Not Be Creating Obstacles During The Difficult Time That Women Have When Trying To Terminate A Pregnancy.” According to the National Review of Medicine, “Oprah’s a staunch Obama supporter, you’re a staunch Republican. Do you two ever argue about politics? We don’t talk politics but I suspect we’d be very close to each other. I’m a Teddy Roosevelt Republican. I have a very firm belief in individual rights. I don’t like the government telling me what to do and I believe that people should have free will to pursue their dreams. I’m not socially conservative. I don’t believe that we should be intruding into the private lives of homosexuals and we should not be creating obstacles during the difficult time that women have when trying to terminate a pregnancy. I believe we should make it as easy as possible for women to carry a child to term and give it up for adoption. Today’s climate makes it difficult for women to do what’s best for them and their fetus.” [National Review Of Medicine, June 2008]
Oz Said He Was “100% Pro Life.” According to Dr. Oz for U.S. Senate, “Dr. Oz is a successful heart surgeon – he has literally held a beating heart in his hands. He knows how precious life is and is 100% Pro-Life.” [Dr. Oz for U.S. Senate, 2/22/22]
Oz: “I’m A Common Sense Republican, I’m Conservative, I Always Have Been. I’m Strongly Pro-Life.” According to WYOU, “Several constituents asked questions about Dr. Oz’s plans to advocate for rural areas of the commonwealth. ‘I think if you ask these folks they won’t think I’m too liberal, I’m a common sense Republican, I’m conservative, I always have been. I’m strongly pro-life, strongly pro-Second Amendment. I understand the value of taking natural gas out of our soil and protecting our national interests. So I’m an American first candidate, I always have been,’ said Dr. Mehmet Oz, (R), Candidate for Pennsylvania Senate.” [WYOU, 3/1/22]
[AUDIO] Oz Said His Friends “Don’t Understand Him” Because He Was “The One Pro-Life Person” Among Them. “It has been difficult. A lot of my friends don't understand me. They'd all be pro-choice. I'd be the one pro-life person. I have strong feelings about guns, I went hunting and I own a dozen guns and, you know, talking to each other about what I get. Why am I like that and how come I'm not the person I should be? I kept on saying, God, I'm reflective of what the average proud American feels about our nation, my views, I'm pro-life. Second Amendment and all the other things are reflective of the community that I grew up in, which is our community, by the way. Right. The place because I grew up near where you guys are. And I don't think that's outside the norm of traditional Americans. I'm very proud of those views. I actually think a lot of people in the entertainment industry are silenced. There's their self censoring because they know that it's not tolerable. And I think there are a bunch of reasons for that. They literally have different values, different taste buds for values in their mouth, so to speak, that they value some things more than I. And I value some of these more than others that they usually would ignore. And I've noticed that they're not often trying to hurt the country, but the result of their decision making dramatically changes what's going down. And especially what I'm witnessing over and over again, which is a belief that our country is irredeemably stained. And so the only way to fix it is to tear it down and rebuild it, of course, using their toxic ideology. And when I read these comments, it drives me batty because I don't think they're being intellectually honest about the challenges that we face.” [PA Conservative Women Speaker Series, PA, 1/19/22]
[AUDIO] Oz Said The Thought Of Harming A Being At Conception Could Not Cross His Mind, And That’s Why He Was Pro-Life. “When I was in Pittsburgh about a month ago, a 14 year old kid, came over to me, he’s taller than me already. And he said, ‘you operated on me when I was five days old’. And actually, it was done by a partner of mine, a famous heart surgeon specializing in the exact problem this little kid had. When you look at the heart of a five day old, they're the size of a thimble. They're tiny. But the majesty that God gave that organ to pump blood, eke it out, even if it's sick, can't be lost on you. It's right there staring at you with a bright like the divinities there. The thought of harming that child or hurting that heart at five years old would never cross your mind. It wouldn't cross your mind nine months earlier at conception either. And when I looked in the eyes of that 14 year old boy, and realized that that was a dream that his parents had, that he could survive. And now he's thriving and doing well. Think of the children that we lose because we don't have that understanding of how the divinity is in that cell as it's conceived. That's why I'm pro-life. Now, my mother in law knew that, because she wrote a lot of the literature in this area for the pro-life movement back in the 80s and 90s. She was elected Republican official. But when she first saw the ads and she was stunned, she didn't know who they were talking about, and they began to realize that that's just part of the game. Now, when you were campaigning early on, I'll never forget the moment happened in your career, which actually happened to be later on.” [Bristol Meet and Greet, Bristol, PA, 04/21/22]
Republican Senate Candidate Mehmet Oz Campaigned As Being 100 Percent Anti-Abortion, But He Supported Access To Abortion In Cases Of Rape, Incest And When The Mother’s Life Is In Danger. According to The Hill, “Gov. Tom Wolf (D) pledged at the start of the year to veto the six different anti-abortion bills introduced by Republican members of the general assembly, giving the battle over abortion rights a high profile heading into the November elections. Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz has campaigned as being 100 percent anti-abortion, but he supports access to abortion in cases of rape, incest and when the mother’s life is in danger.” [The Hill, 6/29/22]
Oz Said He Believes “Life Begins At Conception,” But Supported Some Exceptions To An Abortion Ban In The Case Of Rape, Incest Or Risk To The Mother’s Life. According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “The Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, opposes any legislative effort to restrict abortion in the country. He supports ending the filibuster to achieve this and other top Democratic policies. Republican nominee and celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz has said he believes ‘life begins at conception,’ but supports some exceptions to an abortion ban in the case of rape, incest or risk to the mother’s life.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 6/27/22]
[VIDEO] Oz Said He Was “Pro-Life” With Three Exceptions, Health Of The Mother, Incest, And Rape. According to transcript, “Host: You’re pro-life. Where do you fall? Do you believe Roe v. Wade should be overturned or do you support limiting abortion? Oz: I’m pro-life with the three usual exceptions, especially the health of the mother. But but incest and rape as well. I’m OK with the Supreme Court making the right decision based on what they think the Constitution says Pennsylvania needs a conservative who will put America first in the ad announcing his candidacy.” [WGAL - News 8, 12/01/21]
[AUDIO] Oz Said That Life Begins At Conception But The Exception For The Mother’s Life Was A “Practical Reality That Is A Different Scenario.” “Question: So you said that you believe life begins in the womb and that you're pro-life, but you've also said that you would make an exception for cases of rape and incest. So my question is, why would the circumstances of a person's conception determine whether their life is valuable and worth protecting? Oz: I believe life starts at conception because it begins at conception. It's illogical to have any reason. But we're not only logical people, and I find it in my heart to allow, for example, the life of the mothers at risk to make that decision with her spouse and her family. I've been in that room. No decisions have been made. It's very difficult for patients. And I don't want to add to their pain or difficulty when someone's got to decide whether the life of the mother or the life of the child will reign supreme. And I feel most of us can understand that. It doesn't change my view that life starts at conception, but it's a practical reality that that is a difficult scenario. Now, thankfully, in the one case that I was involved, we saved both, but we had to decide before I went to the operating room what to do. I couldn't save both. And that's a hard place for the government to play with.” [Grove City College Meet and Greet, PA, 1/26/22]
Oz Clarified An Element Of His Stance On Abortion, Telling Reporters He Would Not Support Criminal Penalties For Those Who Have Abortions Or The Physicians Providing The Care. According to Politico, “Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz on Tuesday clarified an element of his stance on abortion, telling reporters he would not support criminal penalties for those who have abortions or the physicians providing the care. ‘There should not be criminal penalties for doctors or women regarding abortion,’ Oz said in response to a question at a news conference in Philadelphia, adding that he is ‘strongly pro-life’ but supports exceptions in the cases of rape or incest or if the life of the mother is at risk. [Politico, 9/6/22]
Fetterman, The Democratic Senate Nominee, Noted Thursday That Haley Had Once Signed A Ban On Abortion At 20 Weeks Of Pregnancy, With No Exceptions For Rape Or Incest And Included Penalties For Doctors Of Up To $10,000 In Fines And Three Years In Prison. According to Philadelphia Inquirer, “Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic Senate nominee, noted Thursday that Haley had once signed a ban on abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. The South Carolina law included penalties for doctors of up to $10,000 in fines and three years in prison. ‘We appreciate that Dr. Oz is doing our job for us,’ said Fetterman spokesperson Joe Calvello. Appearing with Haley ‘is just highlighting how out of step [Oz] is with Pennsylvanians when it comes to reproductive freedom.’” [Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/8/22]
Oz Said Abortion Decisions Should Be Made In Harrisburg And Left To The States, Stating “I Trust Democracy.” According to CBS Pittsburgh, “He said the decision should be made in Harrisburg and left to the states. ‘I trust democracy,’ Oz said. ‘I trust your ability to influence our representatives in Harrisburg, which is where this decision should be made. It’s not talked about in the Constitution.’” [CBS Pittsburgh, 8/29/22]
According To The Franklin And Marshall Poll Conducted Last Week Of Pennsylvania Voters, 37% Of Registered Voters Believe Abortion Should Be Legal Under Any Circumstances And 52% Believe It Should Be Legal Under Certain Circumstances. According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Support for abortion access among Pennsylvania voters reached an all-time high this month, according to a Franklin & Marshall College poll released Thursday. Thursday’s poll was the first one that Franklin & Marshall College conducted since the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned a federal constitutional right to an abortion. According to the poll conducted last week, 37% of registered voters believe abortion should be legal under any circumstances and 52% believe it should be legal under certain circumstances. All together, nine in 10 Pennsylvania voters support abortion access in some form.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 8/25/22]