O'Reilly “not sure” if Palin wants to overturn Roe v. Wade -- but she recently said it “should” be reversed

Special Programs Abortion Rights & Reproductive Health

Written by Lauren Auerbach

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On his Fox News program, Bill O'Reilly stated that he is “not sure” whether Gov. Sarah Palin “wants to overturn Roe v. Wade.” In fact, during her interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson last week, Palin said that Roe v. Wade “should” be reversed.

During the “Culture Warriors” segment on the September 18 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly stated, "[I]f I interview Sarah Palin, obviously I'm going to ask her this, whether she wants to overturn Roe v. Wade. I'm not sure whether she does or not. I've never heard her say that." In fact, during her September 12 interview with ABC News anchor Charles Gibson, Palin stated that Roe v. Wade “should” be overturned. Gibson asked Palin: "Roe v. Wade: You think it should be reversed?" Palin responded: “I think it should, and I think that states should be able to decide that issue.” During the interview, Gibson also asked: "[Sen.] John McCain would allow abortion in cases of rape and incest. Do you believe in it only in the case where the life of the mother is in danger?" Palin replied: “That is my personal opinion.”

During the O'Reilly Factor segment, which featured Fox News contributor Margaret Hoover, O'Reilly also said of Palin: “But while she governed Alaska, she wasn't some anti-abortion zealot in the sense of pushing very tough state laws. I mean, she's obviously pro-life, and that's her opinion. And she is an American, and she reflects half the country that is pro-life. And so, we're not supposed to have anybody pro-life, Margaret, in any position of power, even though half of the country is pro-life. That's absurd. That's fascism.”

From the September 18 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: But the hysteria is such that, while she governed Alaska -- now, if I interview Sarah Palin, obviously I'm going to ask her this, whether she wants to overturn Roe v. Wade. I'm not sure whether she does or not. I've never heard her say that.

But while she governed Alaska, she wasn't some anti-abortion zealot in the sense of pushing very tough state laws. I mean, she's obviously pro-life, and that's her opinion. And she is an American, and she reflects half the country that is pro-life. And so, we're not supposed to have anybody pro-life, Margaret, in any position of power, even though half of the country is pro-life. That's absurd. That's fascism.