Stacey Abrams says election comments taken ‘out of context,’ suggests potential limitations on abortion
Stacey Abrams is pushing back on the recent criticism she's faced on the campaign trail regarding her stance on abortion, as well as previous comments surrounding the results of the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election that she lost to Gov. Brian Kemp.
ATLANTA – Democratic Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams is pushing back on the recent criticism she's faced on the campaign trail regarding her stance on abortion, as well as previous comments surrounding the results of the 2018 gubernatorial election that she lost to incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital following a rally with supporters in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Abrams objected to what she referred to as "artificial time constraints" when it came to putting limits on abortion, but suggested she might support some limitations on later-term abortion when she reiterated previous statements that she supports women having the ability to make a decision regarding pregnancy alongside their doctor "up until the point of viability."
She also argued that her comments about the 2018 results, specifically that it was "rigged" and "stolen," were taken "out of context."
"I accepted the results in 2018. And the premise of the question always presumes that I did not accept the results," Abrams said when asked about the criticism she'd received over her election comments. "Despite the cherry-picking and the decontextualization of what I've said, at the top of my speech I said that I acknowledged that Governor Kemp was the governor of Georgia."
Democratic Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams speaks with Fox News' Brandon Gillespie following a rally with the Asian-American community in Gwinnett County, Georgia, on Friday. (Brandon Gillespie)
Abrams has faced criticism after insisting she never challenged or denied the outcome of the 2018 results, which showed her losing to Kemp by less than 60,000 votes. Following her loss, she acknowledged Kemp was the governor of Georgia, but maintained that voter suppression kept her from being the winner, and said the election was "stolen" from her.
Abrams explained to Fox that what she "always objected to" was the idea that thousands of Georgia voters were denied access to the ballot box in that election. She pointed to the ruling issued by a federal judge last month that threw out a lawsuit brought on by Fair Fight Action, the voting rights advocacy group she founded, that challenged the state's voting laws.
The ruling noted that Georgia's election system was "not perfect," but upheld the laws in place. Abrams argued the ruling, despite going against her, was evidence Kemp was overseeing a "racist" voting system in Georgia because it, according to her, pointed to problems in the system that disproportionately affected Black voters.
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Democratic Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams poses for a photo with attendees of a rally in support of her campaign, as well as Democratic Georgia Secretary of State nominee Bee Nguyen (picture to the left of Abrams), in Gwinnett County, Georgia, on Friday. (Brandon Gillespie)
"We were right. And my intention is to always fight for access, but I am not entitled to the outcome. And I have never claimed that I did. Now, people have taken language that I've used out of context. I've tried to make certain that people across the state always understood the importance of their power. When they showed up in [2018], they changed the future of the state. And I will always celebrate their victories and the changes they were able to make in our elections," she said.
When asked about the criticism she's received over her abortion stance and if she would support any limitations on them, Abrams stuck by her view that "abortion is medical care," and ultimately a decision between a woman and her doctor.
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She did, however, appear to leave open the door to some limitations on abortion, saying that a woman should have the right to such medical care "up until the point of viability as determined by the doctor."
"And as of that moment, if the woman's life is in danger or if her health is in danger, then there should be a decision made to protect the life of that woman. But otherwise, the point of viability. But what I object to are artificial time constraints that do not conform to biology or logic," Abrams said.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia is interviewed by Fox News Digital on Sept. 27, 2022, in Alpharetta, Georgia. (Fox News )
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Fox News' Power Rankings have rated the rematch between Kemp and Abrams as "lean Republican."
The election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8.
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