2019: Oz Denounced Heartbeat Abortion Law In Alabama As “Dangerous, Unfair To Women, And Premised On Misleading Information”. According to the Daily Beast, “But in the discussion with the Breakfast Club—hosted by rapper and political pundit ‘Charlamagne tha God’—Oz devoted several minutes to explaining why the resurgent anti-abortion movement concerned him as a physician, and why Roe was valuable and should not be overturned. When The Daily Beast called Dr. Oz for comment, he picked up his phone and immediately ended the call. He then did not reply to a text message asking about his remarks in the abortion discussion. But asked in 2019 about prohibitive laws like the near-total ban Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey had signed earlier that month—a so-called ‘heartbeat’ bill which outlawed abortion in almost every instance starting six weeks after conception—Oz denounced the idea as dangerous, unfair to women, and premised on misleading information.” [Daily Beast, 12/7/21]
In Discussing 6 Week Abortion Ban, Oz Said He Did Not “Quite Get It As A Doctor”. According to the Daily Beast, “’So you’re asking women to decide almost instantaneously if they’re pregnant or not,’ Oz said. ‘And it’s also banned in cases of incest and rape. So I don’t quite get it as a doctor.’” [Daily Beast, 12/7/21]
Oz Said That There Was No Fetal Heartbeat At 6 Weeks Of Pregnancy. According to the Daily Beast, “He then went to lengths to dismantle the spurious six-week ‘heartbeat’ talking point. ‘There are electrical exchanges at six weeks, but the heart’s not beating,’ Oz said. ‘If you’re going to define life by a beating heart, then make it a beating heart, not little electrical exchanges in the cell that no one would hear or think about as a heart,’ he continued. To do otherwise, he said, misleads the average person into ‘envisioning a little acorn heart beating in there, and that’s not what’s going on at six weeks.’” [Daily Beast, 12/7/21]
Oz Said That Restrictive Abortion Bans Including “Heartbeat” Abortion Bans Could Result In A “Big Sucking Sound Of Businesses Leaving” States. According to the Daily Beast, “And while Oz now seems fine with a conservative majority overturning Roe, as he faces a GOP primary field of anti-abortion Republicans, Oz was explicitly concerned by that prospect in 2019, and suggested abortion bans could result in a ‘big sucking sound of businesses leaving’ states.” [Daily Beast, 12/7/21]
Oz Said He Was “Really Worried” About The Impact Anti-Abortion Laws Would Have On Women’s Health, Specifically The Alabama Heartbeat Abortion Law. According to the Daily Beast, “Asked by the God whether he thought prohibitive anti-abortion laws were ‘healthy,’ Oz replied, ‘I’m really worried about it,’ and invoked his professional experience. ‘I’ve taken care of a lot of women who had issues around childbirth. The problem with the [Alabama] law as it stands now—and I think the law was really only passed to generate a Supreme Court challenge—but most women don’t know they’re pregnant,’ he said, taking specific aim at the bad-faith effort to overturn Roe. ‘It’s two weeks past your last period when you have to decide by,’ Oz explained, referencing the six-week line.” [Daily Beast, 12/7/21]