Chuck Todd on Sunday grilled Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus on a Texas abortion law that was upheld on Thursday, forcing more abortion clinics in the state to close their doors.
“One of the things about the Republican party is you don’t like a lot of regulation on businesses, except if the business is a abortion clinic,” Todd said to Priebus. “80 percent of these abortion clinics in Texas are going to be basically out of business because of this new law. Too much regulation, is that fair?”
“Well, you obviously have to talk to someone in Texas” Priebus responded. “But the fact of the matter is that we believe that any woman that’s faced with an unplanned pregnancy deserves compassion, respect, counseling, whatever it is that we can offer.”
Todd then asked Priebus how forcing women to “drive 200 or 300 miles” amounts to “compassion.”
Priebus then said the law was about taxpayers’ money.
“The issue for us is only one thing. And that’s whether you ought to use taxpayer money to fund abortion,” he said. “That’s the one issue that I think separates this conversation that we’re having.”
The Texas law that went into place on Friday enforces hospital operating standards on abortion clinics.
