Klobuchar struggles with questions on late-term abortions when pressed by Meghan McCain

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Minnesota Senator and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar struggled to answer questions about late-term abortions when pressed by "The View" co-host Meghan McCain on Friday.

The segment on abortions began with Klobuchar saying she was "extremely concerned" that there was an effort to overturn Roe v. Wade, adding that the "guys" in the Alabama state senate who passed the law that bans nearly all abortions in the state are "taking us backwards." However, liberal co-host Joy Behar acknowledged that women co-sponsored the bill in the state House of Representatives.

Klobuchar went on to blame President Trump for "starting this movement," citing remarks he made during the 2016 election when MSNBC's Chris Matthews pressed Trump on whether women should be punished if abortion were hypothetically outlawed. Trump said there would likely be "some punishment" for women.

"You look at the assault on women's health, it's everything from taking away the right to choose to defunding Planned Parenthood to taking away the Affordable Care Act, which means you could be thrown off your insurance for pre-existing conditions," Klobuchar said.

"And what's really interesting about this, whether you're pro-life, pro-choice, we actually saw a decrease in abortions over the past, say, ten years during the Obama time period and that's good! Everyone would agree on that. Why? Because we had contraceptives more available, because we funded Planned Parenthood. And so the irony of what they're doing and the tragedy of what they're doing is while they're taking away the woman's right to choose, they're also trying to take their right to get contraception."

McCain then asked Klobuchar to weigh in on the controversial remarks made by embattled Gov. Ralph Northam, D-Va, who in January suggested that women and their doctors should have a "discussion" regarding what should be done with a baby that survives an abortion attempt.

"Democrats look like they've gotten very extreme on this issue and I think it's gone from the party of 'safe, legal, and rare' to 'having a conversation about late-term abortions up until birth with the Ralph Northam controversy," McCain said. "Are you for what he said or late-term abortion or the moments that he was talking about where he would keep a woman 'comfortable' as she was giving birth in case she wanted to abort her third-term child?"

"I don't know all his comments, but what I do know is that I am for a woman having the right to make the choice about her own body," Klobuchar responded.

"But you're for late-term abortion," McCain said, trying to clarify.

"That's not what we're talking about here," Klobuchar replied.

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Behar then rushed to Klobuchar's defense, saying that late-term abortions are "so rare" and when the child is "going to be in trouble" because of its health.

"But this is a cultural conversation that's happening everywhere," McCain continued.

"Because it's based on a lie," Behar shot back.

"I don't think it should be that hard to say, 'I'm not for late-term abortion in the third-term,'" McCain added, after suggesting that Klobuchar dodged her question. "I don't think it should be that controversial to say."

"I think that your argument has been debunked actually," co-host Sunny Hostin chimed in.

"It has not, it has not." McCain sternly responded."It has not been debunked."

After co-host Ana Navarro said the issue of abortion is "nuanced," McCain doubled down, saying that late-term abortions are "pretty black and white."