‘That’s a Misrepresentation!’ NBC’s Dasha Burns Pushes Back After DeSantis Claims Dems Are Pro-‘Infanticide’

NBC’s Dasha Burns challenged Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over his claim that Democrats support “infanticide” by backing abortion up until the moment of childbirth.

Burns held a wide-ranging interview with the 2024 Republican presidential candidate which premiered on Monday’s Today show, and part of their discussion addressed the unpopularity of DeSantis’ abortion ban policy in Florida after six weeks of pregnancy. When asked whether he would veto a federal bill that tries to implement a nationwide abortion ban, DeSantis answered “We will be a pro-life President and we will support pro-life policies.”

I would not allow what a lot of the left wants to do, which is to override pro-life protections throughout the country all the way up really until the moment of birth in some instances, which I think is infanticide.

As DeSantis said that, Burns interjected.

“I’ve gotta push back on you on that because that’s a misrepresentation of what’s happening,” Burns said. “I mean, 1.3 percent of abortions happen at 21 weeks or higher.”

“But their view is is that all the way up until that, there should not be any legal protections,” countered DeSantis.

“There is no indication of Democrats pushing for that,” Burns responded.

DeSantis’ comments were a repetition of his talking points where he has claimed that Democrats support abortion until the moment of birth, and some liberal states allow post-birth abortions to happen. Republicans have repeatedly distorted the facts surrounding late-term abortions — dramatically misrepresenting how rare they are, and ignoring the context that they happen when the mother’s life is at risk, or if the fetus has a fatal condition.

Here’s what Dr. Daniel Grossman, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, told the New York Times in 2019 during the debate surrounding the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act:

Dr. Grossman said there were painful situations in which the fetus might be at the edge of viability and labor must be induced to save the mother’s life. For instance, a condition called pre-eclampsia, involving high blood pressure and other problems, can kill both mother and fetus, and in most cases the only treatment is to deliver the baby. If it seems unlikely that the baby will survive, the family may choose to provide just comfort care — wrapping and cuddling the baby — and allow the child to die naturally without extreme attempts at resuscitation.

The bill would force doctors to resuscitate such an infant, even if the parents did not want those measures, said Dr. Jennifer Conti, an obstetrician gynecologist who is a fellow of Physicians for Reproductive Health, an advocacy group. Doctors who violated the law would be subject to criminal penalties, as would anyone who saw the violation and failed to report it, she said.

The full interview will air tonight on NBC Nightly News.

Watch above via NBC.

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