Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott wrongly claimed that Democrats support abortion rights “up to 52 weeks” even though human pregnancies generally only last about 40 weeks, HuffPost reports.
“If we don’t take back the Senate, Dems will pack the courts, give DC statehood, grant abortions up to 52 weeks, and Republicans will never win again,” Scott said in a fundraising email on Monday.
It’s not clear why Scott chose that number and his office did not comment on the report.
Democrats already control the Senate, as well as the House and the White House, but none of the things Scott suggested have happened.
“Structurally, the Senate map favors Republicans long-term,” HuffPost added, “so the idea that the GOP will ‘never win again’ is nonsense.”
Doctors push back:
“A full-term pregnancy is approximately 40 weeks,” Dr. Meera Shah, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic, told HuffPost. “It is not logical or medically accurate to say that people can be pregnant at 52 weeks ― let alone be seeking an abortion. It is comments like this one that underscore exactly why medical decisions should not be made by politicians.”
Republicans make unscientific claims:
Numerous other Republicans have made unscientific claims amid the party’s push to outlaw most or all abortions.
Virginia congressional candidate Yesli Vega recently suggested that women can’t get pregnant during a rape.
"The left will say, 'Well what about in cases of rape or incest?' I'm a law enforcement officer. I became a police officer in 2011. I've worked one case where as a result of a rape, the young woman became pregnant,” she said in June. "I've actually heard that it's harder for a woman to get pregnant if she's been raped. Have you heard that?"
Arizona gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson made a similar claim, arguing that pregnancies from rape are “extremely rare.”
