1978: RFK Jr. Said He Was “Against Abortion Myself On A Moral Basis.” According to The Washington Post, “Of all the Kennedys, he thinks his aunt, Eunice Shriver, would make a ‘terrific’ president. ‘She’s very bright, well organized, a very good administrator.’ He conceded that she would also be controversial, for such views as her tough anti-abortion stance. ‘I’m against abortion myself on a moral basis, but I have some reservations about how much we can impose our sort of moral ideas and religious beliefs upon other Americans through the law.’” [Washington Post, 8/12/78]
2005: RFK Jr. Said He Was “Pro-Life.” According to Houston Chronicle, “As he talked about the Catholic Church today, Kennedy leaned forward on his couch. He said he is content to focus on elements of the church that he loves, and that he considers many priests to be role models, but he is impatient with the church’s leadership. Kennedy, who describes himself as ‘pro-life,’ appears particularly incensed by the argument put forward by some Catholic bishops that last year’s Democratic nominee for president, Sen. John Kerry, should have been denied Communion because of his support for abortion rights. ‘The debate was a silly one, to try to deprive people of their opportunity to get closer to God, when we should be encouraging people to get closer to God, and to commune with the community,’ Kennedy said.” [Boston Globe, 3/15/05]
August 2023: RFK Jr. Said, “Every Abortion Is A Tragedy,” And He Had “Seen Pictures Of Late-Term Abortions That Are Horrifying.” VIDEO [00:00:00] (AUDIENCE MEMBER): Will you start (inaudible) choice, freedom of choice for women on birth—birth, birth or no birth? DENNIS KUCINICH: Thank you very much. Thanks for the question. Mr. Kennedy? ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: Yeah. The answer to the last question: I think every abortion is a tragedy, but I think we need to trust women. You know, I’ve been fighting for medical freedom and bodily autonomy for all of my life, and I am probably the leading (inaudible). I don’t think the government has the competence to interfere in our own medical decisions, what happens to our bodies. But I also understand both sides of the abortion argument. I’ve seen pictures of late-term abortions that are horrifying, and my family is split on the issue. And I don’t think anybody should be disrespected for their views on this issue. It’s a difficult issue, and it’s difficult for all of us. I believe only – the only good choice or the only choice we have is to trust women. [YouTube, Kelly Carson, 4/11/24]
January 2024: RFK Jr. Said, “I’m Not Happy About Abortions.” VIDEO [01:11:52] HOWIE MANDEL: Abortion. ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: Abortion is a, is a woman’s choice. You know, look, I’ve been a premier leader in this country for many, many years fighting for medical freedom, for autonomy, that people should have autonomy over their own bodies. And, you know, I’m not happy about abortions. I think there—every one is a tragedy. But I think that, you know, the government can’t be the arbiter and that we have to trust women and, you know, ultimately, it’s up to—it’s got to be up to a woman to make that choice. MANDEL: Well as far as giving it to the states or do you think it’s a federal law—would you release, would you return to Roe v. Wade. KENNEDY: I think, I think women should have that right wherever they live. MANDEL: OK. But should it be the state’s decision or a federal? JACKELYN SHULTZ: No. KENNEDY: I think women—I think women should have the right to wherever they live. SHULTZ: He meant, he means completely across the board. MANDEL: OK, all right. Well thank you. SHULTZ: You’re welcome. I clarified— KENNEDY: Thank you. SHULTZ: So that you didn’t have to. [YouTube, Howie Mandel Does Stuff, 1/16/24]
RFK Jr. Said He Supported A Federal 15-Week Abortion Ban. According to Politico, “Speaking to NBC from the Iowa State Fair, Kennedy said, ‘I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life,’ but added: ‘Once a child is viable, outside the womb, I think then the state has an interest in protecting the child.’ He said he would sign a federal ban on abortion after 15 weeks or 21 weeks of pregnancy if he were elected president.” [Politico, 8/13/23]
Vice President Mike Pence Also Called For A Federal 15-Week Ban
Former Vice President Mike Pence Also Supported A 15-Week Federal Abortion Ban. According to Politico, “Limits on abortion have been widely discussed in the Republican presidential field. Former Vice President Mike Pence, for instance, has called for his fellow GOP presidential candidates to support a 15-week national ban.” [Politico, 8/13/23]
RFK Jr.’s Campaign Tried To Walk Back His Support Of A National Abortion Ban
RFK Jr.’s Campaign Claimed He Did Not Support The National Abortion Ban He Endorsed. According to Politico, “But his campaign subsequently said Kennedy did not mean to support any federal limits on abortion. ‘Today, Mr. Kennedy misunderstood a question posed to him by a NBC reporter in a crowded, noisy exhibit hall at the Iowa State Fair,’ his campaign said. ‘Mr. Kennedy’s position on abortion is that it is always the woman’s right to choose. He does not support legislation banning abortion.’” [Politico, 8/13/23]
December 2023-February 2024: Team Kennedy Paid Stanton-King $30,000 For “Campaign Consulting.” According to Federal Election Commission data, Team Kennedy paid Angela Stanton-King, listed as “Angela King,” $30,000 between December 2023 and February 2024—$10,000 on December 8, 2023; January 2, 2024; and February 1, 2024— for “campaign consulting” and reimbursed her for $1,646.37 on February 16, 2024. [FEC, viewed 4/11/24]
February 2024: RFK Jr. Said Stanton-King Had “Educated Me About The Fact That 85% Of Abortions Are With Black Women, That A Lot Of The Abortion Clinics Are Put With The Black Neighborhoods, The Fertility Clinics Are All Put In White Neighborhoods.” VIDEO [00:00:00] ANGELA STANTON-KING: One of the conversations that we talk about, Bobby, something that you know is very important to me because you came by and you visited Auntie Angie’s House, was this Black maternal health crisis that we are currently dealing with in this nation, and I think that that’s so important because, you know, if we’re not giving birth to Black babies, we don’t have to worry about anything else impacting Black life. Can you talk to us really quickly about just experience you had with the women that day? And what do you plan to do about that particular issue once you make it in office? ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: Yeah, I mean , there were a whole lot of issues that came out of that evening, and of course I spent a day with you at Angie’s House, and you educated me about the fact that 85% of abortions are with Black women, that a lot of the abortion clinics are put with the black neighborhoods, the fertility clinics are all put in white neighborhoods, and, you know, what you said—and you and I disagree on, you know, some issues about how to regulate abortion, because I just—I’m a medical freedom advocate my whole life, you know, you shouldn’t, the government shouldn’t be telling you what you can, what drugs you need to take and they shouldn’t be telling you what to do with your body. We need to leave it up to the woman—women. But there’s another issue which you really educated me about, which is the amount of money spent funneling women into that corral to get an abortion and the coercion that takes place, which should not take place, and that there are many, many women who are making that choice, which is a life-changing choice for many of them, because they don’t have the access, the money, the resources to bring that baby to term, and I agree 100%. There is nobody in this country who we should say—who should have to make a choice that they don’t, to get an abortion because they don’t have the money to bring their baby to term and that we’re putting all of this money into, you know, making abortion really super accessible, which is fine, but we should spend the same amount of money in making, you know, non-abortion accessible as well for women who just don’t want it for others. [YouTube, Kelly Carson, 4/11/24; Team Kennedy, viewed 4/12/24]
February 2024: RFK Jr. Said Stanton-King Taught Him That “85% Of The Abortions That Take Place In This Country Are Among Black Women, And They—The Institutions Themselves, The Planned Parenthood Facilities Are Most Often Cited In Black Neighborhoods.” VIDEO [00:07:45] ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: Thank you, Angela. And thank you for your, your advocacy on this issue and for your friendship. I—my—as Angela said my orientation, I’ve been one of the leading fighters in this country for medical autonomy, for medical freedom. I don’t think the government—my posture is the government should not be telling people what to do with their bodies. And, but at the same time, I come from a family that is divided between pro-choice and pro-life. My closest mentor in my family was Eunice Shriver, who is very, very much pro-life. I think we all ought to be able to have this conversation and treat each other with respect. And that is the relationship that Angela and I have. And I, I, I also feel like and what I’ve said to Angela and what I’ve learned from her, 85% of the abortions that take place in this country are among Black women, and they—the institutions themselves, the Planned Parenthood facilities are most often cited in Black neighborhoods. And for a lot of these young Black mothers, the choice, the difficult choice to have an abortion is driven by economic indicators, by economic strictures, by the, the difficulty of raising a child. Today, childcare costs on average about 37% of a mother’s income. And we should not be in a situation in this country where any mother is aborting a child because they believe they can’t afford that baby, and we ought to be putting the same amount of resources into making sure nobody has to make that choice as we’re putting in to Planned Parenthood. And that is what I do as president. I you know, my, my view is that we need, I think, the ultimate choice to have an abortion—every abortion is a tragedy, but the ultimate choice should not be with the government. We have to ultimately—it’s never a good choice, it’s never an easy issue—but ultimately we have to trust the mother and her consultations with her pastor, her doctors, but she has to make her own choice. [YouTube, Blacks for Kennedy, 2/15/24]
January 2024: RFK Jr. Said He Had Discussed With Stanton-King That “85% Of The Abortions Are Among Black Women And That, If You Look Where The Planned Parenthood Facilities Are, They’re Invariably In Black Neighborhoods.” VIDEO [00:00:50] ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: My approach even the environmental regulation is free markets. You know, it’s not top-down regulation. And I’ve always been that way. On social issues—gay rights, civil rights, you know, I would say that I’m progressive, that I, you know, I believe that that’s what America’s about. On abortion my position is, you know, I’m a medical freedom advocate, and I have been, you know, probably the leading medical freedom advocate. I believe—I don’t believe the government should—can be telling people what to do with their bodies. Now, I have a very close friendship with Angela Stanton-King, who feels differently than I do about that, and I. I come from a family that was split on that issue. My closest— SHELLEY WYNTER: And we’re talking about the issue of abortion. KENNEDY: Abortion, yeah, you know my closest kind of confidante growing up was my aunt Eunice Shriver, who was opposite of that. WYNTER: Right. KENNEDY: And I respect that. And I think that, you know, those issues need to be voiced and talked about. And what, you know, Angela’s, what we’ve talked a lot about of that is that 85% of the abortions are among Black women and that, if you look where the Planned Parenthood facilities are, they’re invariably in black neighborhoods. And it’s you know, it’s—and my position is. that no woman in this country ought to get an abortion because she can’t afford a baby, you know, because she can’t afford child care. Child care now is 37% of income for average Americans, so if you’re going to raise a child right he’ll bankrupt you, it’ll bankrupt you, and a lot of women are making that choice, and my position is nobody should have to make that choice, that, you know, that we need to be able to offer women options, including, you know, we’re going to help you with childcare. Now that’s— WYNTER: That’s where Angie’s house comes in, a shameless plug for my sister. KENNEDY: Exactly. [YouTube, 95.5 WSB, 1/18/24]
2021: 42% Of Women Who Had Abortions In 31 States, The District Of Columbia, And New York City—Which Reported The Data To The CDC—Were Black. According to the Pew Research Center, “In the District of Columbia, New York City (but not the rest of New York) and the 31 states that reported racial and ethnic data on abortion to the CDC, 42% of all women who had abortions in 2021 were non-Hispanic Black, while 30% were non-Hispanic White, 22% were Hispanic and 6% were of other races.” [Pew Research Center, 3/25/24]
2022: PolitiFact Rated Candace Owens’s Claim That 79% Of Planned Parenthood Clinics Were In Minority Neighborhoods As “Mostly False.” According to PolitiFact, “Owens claimed that ‘79%’ of Planned Parenthood clinics are in minority neighborhoods. ‘This is not by accident. That is by its founder, Margaret Sanger’s, eugenicist design,’ she said. Data on this matter is dispute, with advocates on each side of the abortion debate arriving at separate conclusions based on different methodology. Sanger has been criticized for supporting eugenics, but scholars say her allegiance to the movement concerned public health, not race. She also was largely opposed to abortion, and none of her clinics performed the procedure until after her death. This statement contains an element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression. We rate it Mostly False.” [PolitiFact, 5/18/22]
March 2020: Stanton-King Ran Against U.S. Rep. John Lewis As A Republican. According to WXIA-TV, “An Atlanta woman pardoned In February by President Donald Trump announced Friday she is running for congress against civil rights icon and Georgia Democrat Rep. John Lewis. Angela Stanton-King told 11Alive that she felt compelled to run for office after reflecting on her past, and that it’s a dream come true for her. She qualified Friday for the 5th District race as a Republican.” [WXIA-TV, 3/6/20]
Stanton-King Accused Lewis Of “Receiving Funding For Our Own Genocide,” Referring To The African-American Community, Because He Was “Funded By […] The Number One Killer Of Black Life.” According to WXIA-TV, “’With all respect to Congressman Lewis, when I think about him, I always have that image in my mind when he was on the Selma Bridge,’ she said. ‘The truth of the matter is, with all that he has given towards the fight for civil rights – which we greatly appreciate – these are no longer the days of marching over the Selma Bridge.’ ‘There is a different injustice we are fighting now, and its for the lives of our unborn children,’ Stanton-King continued. ‘I think that it’s important to raise awareness about the fact that forty-six percent of the black population has been aborted, and many of our leaders in congress are funded by Planned Parenthood, which is the number one killer of black life. Unfortunately, Mr. Lewis happens to be one of those congressmen.’ […] ‘How can a dream live if we kill it, right? How many Martin Luther King Jr.s, and Malcom Xs, or Barack Obamas have we aborted?’ she asked. ‘Every time you hear that the majority of Democratic candidates go on stage, they say poor women of color need access to abortion. I was born to a poor woman of color. I was a poor woman of color when I gave birth to my children. Who’s to say that their lives are worth any less than others? So, I think we need to take a different approach to the issue instead of constantly receiving funding for our own genocide.’” [WXIA-TV, 3/6/20]
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Daughter Bernice A. King Wrote That Lewis “Poured Out His Life And Built, Principled Brick By Principled Brick, With Nonviolence Providing Him The Strategy And The Tools. In an op-ed, Bernice A. King wrote: “It was not until later in my life, when I had an opportunity to more diligently study the civil rights movement and observe those who sacrificed their lives, that I better understood the principle and the fortitude required to exemplify the principle. In particular, I came to see that the life of Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis, whom we in my family affectionately called Uncle John, embodied this principle and demonstrated the courage of conviction to live it out. […] For the sake of a divine call, Uncle John poured out his life and built, principled brick by principled brick, with nonviolence providing him the strategy and the tools, a life of steadfast service from Alabama to Washington. He maintained a passionate stance for good in the face of a resurgence of tangible racism in the corridors of the nation’s most hallowed government buildings and across the nation. Uncle John persevered in showing up nonviolently to conflicts in Congress, fighting for people by fighting for the policies that he deemed most just.” [Bernice A. King op-ed, NBC News, 7/21/20]
Trump Pardoned Stanton-King For Her Crimes As Part Of A Car Theft Ring, For Which She Spent More Than Two Years In Prison. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Stanton-King was recently pardoned by President Donald Trump after her 2004 conviction on federal conspiracy charges for her role in a car theft ring. She spent more than two years in prison. […] A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Stanton-King said both her mother and grandmother died while she was in jail. She said that in 2004 she gave birth to a daughter in jail while handcuffed to a bed. In 2007, after serving time in several state prisons, Stanton-King served a six-month home confinement sentence for her role in the stolen-vehicle ring.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 3/6/20]
February 2020: Stanton-King Said She Had Just “Pardoned By The Greatest President Ever,” A Reference To Trump, During A White House Roundtable With Trump. VIDEO [00:03:18] ANGELA STANTON-KING: Angela Stanton-King. Founder of America Keep Foundation. Recently pardoned by the greatest president ever. [C-SPAN, 2/27/20]
September 2020: Stanton-King Supported Trump’s Call For The Proud Boys To “Stand Back And Stand By.” According to WXIA-TV, “But during the exchange with Biden and the moderator, Chris Wallace, Trump told the Proud Boys to ‘stand back and stand by’. The Proud Boys is a far-right extremist group that has shown up at protests in the Pacific Northwest. The group describes themselves as “western chauvinists,” and they have been known to incite street violence. […] Angela Stanton-King, Republican candidate for Georgia's 5th Congressional District: ‘The President has repeatedly condemned white supremacy, specifically saying in the wake of Charlottesville, 'Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups. I believe the point the President was trying to make in the middle of a fiery debate is that all violence and hate should be condemned, including the leftist groups rioting in major cities across our country.’” [WXIA-TV, 9/30/20]
November 2023: RFK Jr. Said Abortion Was A “Tragedy” But Was A “Choice That Has To Stay With Women” And He Would Advocate For “Medical Autonomy” “In All Areas.” VIDEO [00:00:00] AMNA NAWAZ: Let me tick through a couple of what I know are Democratic in particular priorities and just to see where you stand on the issues. You’ve said before you are pro-choice. Is that still true? ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: Yeah. NAWAZ: So what does that mean you would do as president in a post-Dobbs America to protect abortion rights? KENNEDY: Well, I’m you know, like I’ve said this before that I think every abortion is a tragedy, but that we—it’s a choice that has to stay with women and that it’s not a choice—I’ve been, you know, I’ve been, I think I’ve been fighting harder than anybody else probably arguably in this country for medical autonomy, for medical freedom, for Americans to make choices over their own bodies and not have the government do that, and I’m going to continue to be a leader on that issue in all areas. [YouTube, PBS NewsHour, 11/7/23]
April 2024: RFK Jr.’s Campaign Did Not Have A Policy Section Regarding Women Or Abortion. As of April 11, 2024, Team Kennedy’s website did not list under “Policies” anything labeled with the words abortion or women. [Team Kennedy, viewed 4/11/24]
January 2024: RFK Jr. Did Not Directly Answer When Asked Whether The U.S. Should Return To Roe V. Wade Or Leave Abortion Policy Up To States. VIDEO [01:11:52] HOWIE MANDEL: Abortion. ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: Abortion is a, is a woman’s choice. You know, look, I’ve been a premier leader in this country for many, many years fighting for medical freedom, for autonomy, that people should have autonomy over their own bodies. And, you know, I’m not happy about abortions. I think there—every one is a tragedy. But I think that, you know, the government can’t be the arbiter and that we have to trust women and, you know, ultimately, it’s up to—it’s got to be up to a woman to make that choice. MANDEL: Well as far as giving it to the states or do you think it’s a federal law—would you release, would you return to Roe v. Wade. KENNEDY: I think, I think women should have that right wherever they live. MANDEL: OK. But should it be the state’s decision or a federal? JACKELYN SHULTZ: No. KENNEDY: I think women—I think women should have the right to wherever they live. SHULTZ: He meant, he means completely across the board. MANDEL: OK, all right. Well thank you. SHULTZ: You’re welcome. I clarified— KENNEDY: Thank you. SHULTZ: So that you didn’t have to. [YouTube, Howie Mandel Does Stuff, 1/16/24]
November 2023: RFK Jr. Said He Did Not Have Ideas For What President Biden Should Be Doing To Support Abortion Rights After Roe V. Wade Was Struck Down. VIDEO [00:00:00] NAWAZ: So what does that look like as a president in terms of what you could do at the federal level to protect, protect abortion rights? KENNEDY: Uh, uh, tell me what you’re talking about. NAWAZ: What do you think, for example, President Biden could be doing now that he’s not to protect abortion rights after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade? KENNEDY: Well, I’m not, I don’t know what he should be doing other than, you know, I believe that it’s a woman’s right to choose. If you’re asking me am I recommending legislation right now, I’m all ears. [YouTube, PBS NewsHour, 11/7/23]
Kennedy’s Campaign Website Referred To Abortion As A “Trigger Issue” On Which “Both Sides Have Legitimate Concerns And Legitimate Moral Positions.” According to Team Kennedy, “Kennedy has clear positions on most of today’s divisive trigger issues like abortion, guns, and immigration, but he knows that both sides have legitimate concerns and legitimate moral positions. No one is deplorable. Furthermore, most of the disagreements obscure deeper shared values.” [Team Kennedy via Internet Archive, archived 4/10/24]
April 2024: RFK Jr. Said Whether Former President Trump Or President Biden Won The Election Would Not Would Only Cause “Changes Around The Margins,” Including On “Abortion Or Whatever.” VIDEO [00:25:51] ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: I don’t think that either of them are capable of ending the corporate capture of all of our agencies, the capture of the CIA by the military industrial complex, the capture of NIH, CDC and FDA by the pharmaceutical companies, the capture of the USDA by processed food and big ag. They’re not going to do anything about that. So it’s going to be more of the same. Whoever gets elected, there’s going to be changes around the margins, you know, attacks on abortion or whatever. [YouTube, CNN, 4/1/24]
March 2024: RFK Jr. Referred To Abortion As A “Culture-War Issue” That Was Not “Existential.” VIDEO [00:23:05] ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. I think that President Trump and President Biden are very, very different in terms of their temperament, their personalities. Their ideologies, the language and rhetoric that they use is very, very different. But the issues that they really differ on are mainly culture war issues. They’re the issues of abortion, of guns, the border, and most of the other issues there’s really—the existential issues—and those are important issues. You know, they’re very, very important to many Americans. They should be. But on the existential issues, the issues that could kill this country. There is no difference. There is no capacity to fix those issues. [YouTube, Monique Reymond, 4/3/24; Team Kennedy, viewed 4/11/24]
February 2024: RFK Jr. Said Abortion Was One Of The “Little Issues” “That Are Being Used To Keep Us Apart.” VIDEO [00:28:58] ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.: What I said is that my job during my campaign and my—during the eight years of my presidency is to end that rancor and focus on the values that we all share in common as Americans rather than the, you know, these culture war issues that are allowed to keep us—that are being used to keep us apart. And what I’ve found since starting this campaign is that those landscapes that are occupied by the things that that we all feel strongly about are much, much larger than the little issues that, you know, the guns, the abortion, the border, etc., which are all important, but—and climate—if you—it’s much larger. By the way, I’ll give you some examples. I have supporters who are or pro, you know, Second Amendment absolutists and people who are pro-gun control, I have abortion and pro-life supporters. I have vaccinated people and anti-vax. [YouTube, Todd Ault Podcast, 2/9/24]