CNN host abruptly ends interview with pro-life activist after clash over SCOTUS decision
'Ask someone who's been pregnant, sir,' Hawkins told Acosta during an interview
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN host Jim Acosta shut down an interview with Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, on Thursday, after the two clashed over recent Supreme Court decisions on abortion.
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that doctors in Idaho must be allowed to provide emergency abortions despite the state's near-total ban, in order to comport with the federal law that requires emergency rooms to give "stabilizing treatments" to patients in critical condition. The court also recently ruled against a challenge to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulatory approval process of the abortion drug mifepristone, which Hawkins tied to the Idaho decision.
"Saying Idaho must allow for abortions to prevent infertility, future infertility, the FDA must now change its policy, too, to do the same. Given their no-test online distribution scheme of chemical abortion pills, which we know harm women’s future fertility, as 15% of women of our population are Rh negative. And there is no [Rh] testing now because of the Biden administration and their FDA on these dangerous chemical abortion pills," Hawkins said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Acosta pushed back and said experts have said the drug mifepristone is "safe for women to use."
CNN's Jim Acosta cuts off interview with pro-life activist Kristan Hawkins during discussion on SCOTUS decisions. (Screenshot/CNN)
Hawkins fired back and told Acosta to ask any woman who has been pregnant about the importance of the Rh factor.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Ask any woman who is RH negative. Ask any woman. Excuse me, ask someone who’s been pregnant, sir. When you’re pregnant, one of the first things they do is they test for RH negative status. Because if you have a miscarriage, if you give birth, if you get in an accident, if you have an abortion, you have to be treated immediately," she said.
Acosta cut her off and argued that the pill has been safe for years.
"I’m sorry, mifepristone has been proven to be safe. It’s been that way for years. But thank you for coming on. We appreciate it," Acosta said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hawkins quickly countered with, "No it hasn't," before her sound was cut off and the program went to commercial.
Boxes of the drug mifepristone sit on a shelf at the West Alabama Women's Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on March 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
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Hawkins expanded on her point to Fox News Digital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I was shocked at how, as an invited guest, the male commentator wished to tell me the very real risks pregnant mothers face," Hawkins said in a statement. "As in every pregnancy, for the 15% of mothers who have Rh negative blood type, an exchange of blood by birth, by miscarriage, or by abortion can result in deadly antibodies that can leave a woman infertile without immediate care. Their fertility is at stake."
Hawkins added in the statement that the Idaho decision could have a silver lining for pro-lifers battling access to the abortion pill.
"Here is why that mattered: I was on CNN this morning, doing a reaction to the disappointing EMTALA case at the Supreme Court that had a silver lining for pro-life Americans. The Supreme Court said that protecting women's fertility was an important part of their decision.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"If Idaho can be forced to do abortions in emergency rooms to prevent infertility, then the no test, online distribution of chemical abortion pills as set up by the Biden-Harris administration can be stopped for the same reason – impact on fertility," Hawkins said, expressing hope that this means a future Supreme Court case would regulate or ban mifepristone.
"If you drop deadly chemical abortion pills into the mail, without proper screening and follow-up care, women can be left infertile. And at the Supreme Court, infertility matters. Not that Jim [Acosta] has the bandwidth for that," she added.
CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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CNN host Kasie Hunt similarly abruptly ended an interview on Monday after clashing with Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, who called out CNN debate moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash over bias.
"Ma'am, I'm going to stop this interview if you're going to continue to attack my colleagues," Hunt said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After Leavitt argued she was stating facts about Bash and Tapper, Hunt cut the interview off, her voice rising as she went back to the panel.
"I would like to talk about Joe Biden and Donald Trump, whom you work for," Hunt said. When Leavitt continued, Hunt signaled to cut her off.