Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson was called out for changing his tune on an abortion ban he recently signed into law after he claimed victims of rape and incest should be allowed to have abortions.
Hutchinson's conflicting stance courted controversy after he, during an interview with CNN's "State of the Union," said that he signed the trigger ban in 2019 despite not entirely agreeing with it.
He blamed Arkansas' Republican majority legislature for not including exceptions for rape and incest in the bill's language, which only permits an abortion in the event of a medical emergency.
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Watch @DanaBashCNN press Gov. @AsaHutchinson (R-AR) about the state trigger law on abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned that does not have exceptions for rape or incest. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTUpic.twitter.com/F9Agve3riL— CNN (@CNN) 1653227003
Hutchinson said that he believed the two exceptions should have been added and suggested that the law that he signed "could be revisited" in the event that the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that protects a person's right to choose reproductive healthcare without excessive government restriction.
But this admission was questioned by CNN's Dana Bash, who said:
"You wanted the legislature in Arkansas to put those exceptions in. They didn’t. Your term is almost up."
"What makes you think you can change it? And if you can’t, that means that... 11- and 12-year-olds may be in this situation in a very real way in just a couple of months potentially."
Hutchinson responded with the following:
“Those are heartbreaking circumstances."
"We’re trying to return that authority to the states, and to reduce abortions but, whenever you see real-life circumstances like that, that debate is going to continue and the will of the people may or may not change, but it’s going to come back to the states’ flexibility on that."
“There’s no guarantee of that but the public opinion does matter whenever you come to your elected representatives."
Hutchinson's admission earned him a sharp rebuke from critics who questioned why he'd signed the law despite having reservations about it in the first place.
BS @AsaHutchinson if you disagreed with the abuse of women in this bill, you shouldn't have signed it. \nPlaying cutsey politics with our lives? \nMay you and your fellow Republican predators rot in hell forever.https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1528370945374699520\u00a0\u2026— Keke (@Keke) 1653301762
@AsaHutchinson you signed this abortion ban. Own it. BTW good luck EVER getting elected President.https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1528370945374699520\u00a0\u2026— LetFreedomRingEverywhere (@LetFreedomRingEverywhere) 1653252109
What a backward state and countryhttps://twitter.com/cnn/status/1528370945374699520\u00a0\u2026— Ursula (@Ursula) 1653234461
Arkansas governor says he didn\u2019t want to sign the trigger law from 2019 that didn\u2019t include excepts for rape and incest. And yet, he made no efforts to veto the bill. And with the assembly out of session, his term ending, and Roe v Wade coming to an end, this will be his legacy.https://twitter.com/cnn/status/1528370945374699520\u00a0\u2026— Matthew Moore (@Matthew Moore) 1653228928
The governor mentions the \u201cconsensus of the people.\u201d According to The Arkansas Poll data from 2021, 67% want abortion to be legal in some capacity. When Roe v Wade is inevitably overturned, the governor\u2019s law will go against 2/3 of his constituents. https://fulbright.uark.edu/departments/political-science/resources/2021_ArkPoll_summary_report.pdf\u00a0\u2026https://twitter.com/cnn/status/1528370945374699520\u00a0\u2026— Matthew Moore (@Matthew Moore) 1653229711
Here\u2019s a good example of why covering abortion policy is so difficult.\n\nAR Gov Hutchinson signed a trigger ban that outlaws abortion after fertilization, no exceptions for rape and incest.\n\nBut in this interview he says he supports those exceptions \n\nLesson: ACTION >>> wordshttps://twitter.com/cnn/status/1528370945374699520\u00a0\u2026— Kate Smith (@Kate Smith) 1653232130
So called pro-lifers just don't get that ending Roe will not lessen abortions. It just means more women will suffer horrific outcomes.https://twitter.com/CNN/status/1528370945374699520\u00a0\u2026— Nena Tatum (@Nena Tatum) 1653227801
Men should have no sayhttps://twitter.com/CNN/status/1528370945374699520\u00a0\u2026— Annabelle Mark (@Annabelle Mark) 1653228401
The likelihood that Roe will fall is high.
Earlier this month, Senate Democrats attempted to codify Roe's protections into law by pushing for a vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act, but Republicans—with help from Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia—blocked the legislation.