RFK Jr. reverses abortion stance again after confusion, contradictions emerge within campaign

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. once again reversed his stance on government limits for abortion access in a social media post Friday evening, prompted by criticism from within his own campaign.

During an interview with podcaster Sage Steele, a former ESPN host, Kennedy Wednesday said he opposed any government restrictions on abortions, "even if it's full term." 

But after facing pressure from his campaign staff, Kennedy walked back his previous statement, taking to social media to write that "abortion should be legal up until a certain number of weeks, and restricted thereafter."

The independent longshot said he now supports abortions up until the point of fetal viability, and that he had changed his mind because he "was willing to listen."

Kennedy's sudden reversal on abortion rights follows a social media post from campaign advisor Angela Stanton King, who said she was surprised to learn of Kennedy's support for late-term abortions after his Wednesday night appearance. She then said she would follow up with the candidate.

Hours before Kennedy released his latest stance on abortion rights, Stanton King posted a video on X in which she said that "after a bunch of going back and forth, and not only by me, but also people on the campaign, we've all come to the agreement that late-term abortion is not something that this campaign is going to support."

Stanton King was not the only member of Kennedy's campaign circle to be surprised.

Nicole Shanahan, his running mate, had her own sit-down with Steele, which was released a week earlier than Kennedy's interview. Shanahan revealed that she was not aware Kennedy was against limits on abortion.  

"My understanding with Bobby's position is that, you know, every abortion is a tragedy, is a loss of life," Shanahan said. "My understanding is that he absolutely believes in limits on abortion, and we've talked about this. I do not think, I don't know where that came from."

"That is not my understanding of his position and I think maybe there was a miscommunication there," she added.

In response to the inconsistency between Kennedy and Shanahan, the campaign told CBS News in a statement Thursday that Kennedy believed, "the mother has the final say," before Kennedy changed his mind again Friday night.

This isn't the first instance of Kennedy flip-flopping on his stance regarding limits for abortions. Last year, Kennedy initially told NBC News at the Iowa State Fair that he would support a federal ban on abortion after three months of pregnancy. Hours later, his campaign released a statement clarifying that Kennedy does not support legislation banning abortion.

In:
• Abortion
• RFK Jr.

Allison Novelo

Allison Novelo is a 2024 campaign reporter for CBS News.

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