During Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Xavier Becerra’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) questioned him on his stance toward abortion, asking why Becerra voted against a 2003 bill banning partial-birth abortions.
“Most people agree that partial-birth abortion is awful.” Sen. Romney said. “You voted against a ban on partial-birth abortion. Why?”
“So, senator, here I understand that people have different deeply held beliefs on this issue, and I respect that,” Becerra said, dodging the question. “I have worked, as I mentioned, for decades trying to protect the health of men and women, young and old. And as attorney general, my job has been to follow the law and make sure others are following the law.”
Xavier Becerra, who is the Attorney General of California, filed over 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration over issues ranging from abortion to efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
“I think we can reach common ground on many issues, but on partial-birth abortion, it sounds like we are not going to reach common ground there,” Romney responded.
In 2003, Becerra voted against a bill that would place a federal ban on partial-birth abortion, medically described as “intact dilation and extraction,” which is when the unborn baby is delivered and then killed, usually by crushing his or her skull.
