Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) delivered a fascinating fact-check on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday for those fearing the U.S. Supreme Court will strike down or limit the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision.
Reeves, whose state will be center stage Wednesday as the high court hears oral arguments on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health abortion case, noted “U.S. abortion laws are not in conformity” and are actually far more progressive than regulations in other parts of the world.
“In Europe, there are 42 countries that allow elective abortions,” he said. “If Roe is overturned and this 15-week ban in Mississippi is allowed to go into effect, Mississippi will still have a law on the books in which 39 countries — 39 out of 42 in Europe — have more restrictive abortion laws than what I believe to be one of the most conservative states in the United States.”
Reeves also took a swipe at liberal abortion laws in states like New York and California, likening them to the regulations in restrictive and dangerous locations like North Korea.
“When you look at, for instance, abortion laws in California and New York, they are much more similar to those abortion laws in China and North Korea than they are to Europe or many other countries around the world,” he said.
Analysis from the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute has indeed dubbed the Mississippi law at the center of the Supreme Court case “mainstream” when compared to other European regulations.
Watch Reeves’ comments on the “Meet the Press” segment:
Reeves also delivered a pointed response to “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd when Todd argued that the vaccine mandate could be considered a “pro-life position” and questioned why those who are pro-life on the abortion issue don’t take the same position affirming vaccine mandates.
The Mississippi governor quickly differentiated between the COVID-19 vaccine and abortion.
“Even if you listen to Dr. [Anthony] Fauci’s interview with you earlier today, he made it very clear that the vaccine may not keep you from getting the virus. It may not keep you from spreading the virus, but it can keep you from ending up in the hospital,” Reeves responded. “That’s what’s been proven during this Delta surge that we’ve seen in America — is that the virus is continuing to being spread even amongst those who are vaccinated.”
But he wasn’t done there, as the governor also made the point that “there is an actual killing” in an abortion and that he believes it’s essential to protect vulnerable, unborn babies.
“Conversely, when you’re talking about the pro-life position of protecting unborn babies, let’s put it also in perspective: The fact is that during this very horrible and challenging time since I was sworn into office in January of 2020, we’ve had 800,000 American lives lost because of COVID,” Reeves said. “But since Roe was enacted, 62 million American babies have been aborted … and that’s why I think it’s very important that people like myself and others across this country stand up for those unborn children because they don’t have the ability to stand up for themselves.”
And when Todd questioned whether Reeves can “accept the idea” that he and other Republican governors have possibly sent the wrong message about getting the vaccine, Reeves noted he has encouraged vaccines and will continue to do so.
But he said he also believes in “individual liberty” and for people to make decisions about what’s best for them based on doctors’ guidance.
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***