The clip doesn’t include the question Yang was responding to when MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle asked how he would try to win support for reproductive rights from people opposed to late-term abortions.
“Even people who are pro abortion rights — some aren’t that comfortable with this idea,” Ruhle said. “How are you sensitive to those people? How do you win their support while also taking the position that you do personally?” Yang responded, “It’s a tragedy to me if someone decides that they don’t want to have a child and they’re on the fence ... I mean it’s a very difficult personal decision and it should be something we’re very very sensitive to.”“I think that celebrating children, family — like these are universal human values,” he said.
Yang, a newcomer to city politics has consistently led polls in the eight-way Democratic primary thus far and his opponents have been in recent weeks. Rival campaigns and their allies seized on the 2020 comments this weekend as a vilification of women who choose to have an abortion.: “Political leaders should fight to expand access for those who need it, not make them feel convicted in the court of public opinion for taking control of their health & body.”Yang, saying, “Don’t be one of those guys—whose words perpetuate misogyny by making women bad for celebrating their right to choose.