Washington Post's Kessler slammed for trying to refute GOP on late-term abortions while admitting they happen
'The debate was never over frequency,' conservative radio host Derek Hunter said of the controversial abortion procedure
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Conservatives criticized Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler for attempting to refute their claim that Democratic politicians support late-term abortions by arguing the procedure is rare.
In The Washington Post Thursday, Kessler took aim at "The GOP claim that Democrats support abortion ‘up to moment of birth’" and called it a "disingenuous attack." He said that conservatives "imply that late-term abortions are common — and that they are routinely accepted by Democrats."
He then gave his counterargument: "The reality, according to federal and state data, is that abortions past the point of viability are extremely rare. When they do happen, they often involve painful, emotional and even moral decisions."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}KELLYANNE CONWAY: ABORTION IS A WINNING ISSUE FOR REPUBLICANS
The Washington Post's liberal resident fact-checker, Glenn Kessler, got pushback for his Thursday arguments in defense of Democrats' abortion stance. (Washington Post)
Though a pair of prominent conservatives on Twitter slammed Kessler, insisting their claim was never about how rare late-term abortions are, but that they are provided for and justified by some Democrats in the country.
The Spectator contributing editor Stephen L. Miller went after Kessler’s tweet corresponding to his analysis piece, which read, "ICYMI -- I dug deep into federal and state records to try to determine how often third trimester abortion might take place."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Miller responded, sharing an image of a Wikipedia entry which stated, "Abortion in Colorado is legal at all stages of pregnancy. It is one of six states without any term restrictions as to when a pregnancy can be terminated." Miller captioned the tweet, stating, "Didn’t have to dig that deep."
In his own piece, Kessler mentioned Colorado as the "the home of the Boulder Abortion Clinic, which specializes in late abortions." He added, "In 2021, state records show, about 1.8 percent of 11,580 abortions in Colorado took place after 21 weeks, but just 60 took place at 25 weeks or later."
Abortion-rights protesters gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years, a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court's landmark abortion cases. ((AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana))
That amounts to at least 60 abortions of babies who were at least 6 months into development. And that’s only one clinic in Colorado.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a subsequent tweet, Miller refuted the premise of Kessler’s fact-check, writing, "Also the claim and the frequency are two completely different things which is why Kessler is attempting this fun [sleight] of hand."
Conservative radio host Derek Hunter torched Kessler’s analysis, tweeting, "The debate was never over frequency, it's over that it happens at all. You guys say it never happens, but it's also rare. Both can't be true. Partial birth abortions are performed breach because the baby would breathe and it would be murder. Somewhere inside you knows that's true."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital reached out to The Washington Post for comment as to why Kessler framed his analysis in such a way and hasn't heard back.
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FILE: An exam table in a room where surgeries, including abortions, are performed is seen at a Planned Parenthood Health Center on July 9, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)