Appearing on Fox “Business” Network (FBN)’s Kudlow Tuesday, guest Mark Simone gave out callous and dismissive advice that pregnant people who are being forced to travel out of their home states to obtain an abortion as “not the worst thing in the world.” Also in the same program, Simone laughably called GOP Presidential nominee Donald Trump the “pro-choice candidate.”
Simone’s comments about abortion came on the same day as the all-GOP majority on the Arizona Supreme Court ruled 4-2 (thanks to former Gov. Doug Ducey (R) adding 2 seats to the court) in Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes to let the 1864 abortion ban law that bans abortion except for the life of the pregnant person to take effect and the day after Trump’s so-called abortion statement that purportedly leaves it to the states but in reality serves as a segue to a nationwide ban if given a chance to do so.
In reality, Trump is the anti-abortion candidate, as he has given praise to the Dobbs ruling that overturned Roe thanks to him putting 3 SCOTUS justices on the court to swing an already right-wing court further to the right and due to the fact that several organizations involved in Project 2025 seek to ban abortion entirely by executive fiat.
Lee Moran at HuffPost:
A guest on Larry Kudlow’s Fox Business show was slammed on social media after he suggested that women being forced to travel out of their home states to receive an abortion is “not the worst thing in the world.”
Simone first noted: “If someone needs one and they live in Arizona, it just means they’ll have to go to a neighboring state.”
“If you had to travel to another state to get an abortion, it’s not the worst thing in the world,” he later proclaimed.
Michael Luciano at Mediaite:
“This’ll dominate the news for days because they think it’ll hurt Donald Trump,” Simone said. “This issue does not hurt Donald Trump. He’s not against abortion. He is actually ok with abortion.”
[...]
“Woah, wait, he didn’t say 15 weeks,” the host said. “That’s not quoting him. Yesterday, he had a different take. He didn’t say 15 weeks. He said let the states decide, a point I happen to agree with by the way, wholeheartedly. But I can’t pin 15 weeks on him ’cause it’s not what he said.”
Simone responded by bizarrely claiming that Trump is “pro-choice.”
“Ok, but that makes him the pro-choice candidate,” he falsely claimed, implying “pro-choice” is something other than allowing individuals to decide. “Leave it up to the states. Let them choose. Let them do what they want.”
My piece in Medium (01.22.2022):
Bans and restrictions on abortion access produce harm for those seeking an abortion, especially those with low income, are LGBTQ+ (esp. trans, non-binary, and other gender nonconforming folk), live in rural areas or areas too far from the nearest clinic, and/or are minorities (esp. Indigenous, Black, and Latinx communities).
Giulia Carbonaro at Newsweek:
As Simone mentioned, those seeking an abortion in a state that bans the procedure can travel across state lines to access the proper health care, and won't be legally prosecuted for it. But doing so isn't always easy as the analyst made it sound.
Deciding to travel to another state can be difficult for some, especially if they have financial difficulties and can't afford to do so, can't take a day off or are the main caretaker of a family member.
Having an abortion is already a costly procedure. According to Planned Parenthood data, an in-clinic abortion can cost up to $800 in the first trimester, and as much as $2,000 in the second trimester. Additional costs on top of that—including transport, accommodation, food—makes the option unaffordable for many.
Simone’s dismissive statement that pregnant people can just go to another state to obtain an abortion obscures the reality of the costs to obtaining an abortion beyond the procedure itself: travel, lodging, food, and gas.
From the 04.09.2024 edition of FBN’s Kudlow: