Dr. Oz Weighs In On Who Should Really Make Decisions About The Right To Abortion
With the upcoming midterm elections less than two weeks away, debates will be taking over your television for the next several days. With these debates will come a lot of chatter among political pundits and, in some cases, they'll be fodder for late-night television programs. If you don't live in Pennsylvania, you may have missed the Senate debate between Democrat candidate John Fetterman and Republican candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz.
According to The New York Times, there are four big issues that are driving people to the polls this year in record numbers: Biden's presidency, the economy and inflation, Trumpism and the future of democracy as we know it, and abortion. When Roe v. Wade was overturned this past summer, it immediately became a hot ticket item. Not only has research found that the majority of people in the U.S., at 61%, believe abortion should be legal, but the abortion topic is the reason why 50% of voters are motivated to make it to the polls on Tuesday, November 8 (via CNN).
Naturally, this means that abortion will be one of the most debated topics between politicians as we get closer to the midterms. Oz revealed in his debate with Fetterman who he thinks should really be making decisions about reproductive rights.
Dr. Oz thinks abortion decisions should be made by politicians
As state abortion bans leave some doctors feeling 'muzzled' and are keeping some people from getting essential medication, the battle over abortion rights continues. Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania Dr. Mehmet Oz went head-to-head in a televised debate with Democrat John Fetterman last night. When asked about his stance on abortion, Dr. Oz said, "I want women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that's always allowed our nation to thrive, to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves" (via The Guardian).
While Oz said in the debate that he isn't advocating for a complete abortion ban, it's worth noting that earlier this year he was recorded as having said that he is personally opposed to abortion at any stage of pregnancy. "I do believe life starts at conception, and I've said that multiple times," he said (via NBC). "If life starts at conception, why do you care what stage our hearts starts beating at? It's, you know, it's still murder, if you were to terminate a child whether their heart's beating or not."
Fetterman, on the other hand, believes that Roe v. Wade "should be law," and said during the debate with Oz that he'll "fight to re-establish" it. "If you believe that the choice of your reproductive freedom belongs with Dr. Oz, then you have a choice," he said. "But if you believe that the choice for abortion belongs with you and your doctor, that's what I fight for."