DSCC Statement: Oz Is “One Of The Most Extreme Senate Candidates In The Nation On The Issue Of Reproductive Rights”

In response to new, bombshell reporting today revealing that Mehmet Oz said abortion is “murder” at any stage of pregnancy, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Nora Keefe issued the following statement:

“The last thing Pennsylvania women need is a quack doctor who got rich peddling snake oil telling them they don’t have the right to make their own health care decisions. Oz’s comments are the latest example that he is deeply out-of-step with the Keystone State and has no business representing Pennsylvanians in the US Senate.”

Oz’s dangerous comment has spurred a wave of news coverage highlighting how his position “puts him at odds with most of Pennsylvania’s electorate” and “would make him one of the most extreme Senate candidates in the nation on the issue of reproductive rights.”

See for yourself:

NBC News: Mehmet Oz in May audio: Abortion is ‘murder’ at any stage of pregnancy

• Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz said in May that abortion at any stage of pregnancy is “still murder” because he believes that life begins at conception, according to newly obtained audio.

• “I do believe life starts at conception, and I’ve said that multiple times,” Oz, a Republican, said at the time in a tele-town hall, going on to add: “If life starts at conception, why do you care what stage our hearts starts beating at? It’s, you know, it’s still murder, if you were to terminate a child whether their heart’s beating or not.”

• A section on Oz’s issues page says he “knows how precious life is and is 100% Pro-Life.” In an accompanying video, Oz says: “I’m pro-life. Life starts at conception. That’s how I feel.”

CNN – Inside Politics (WATCH): New Audio Captures Dr. Oz’s “Most Extreme” Stance On Abortion

CNN’s John King: “He says, ‘I do believe life starts at conception… it’s still murder.’”

MSNBC – Hallie Jackson Reports (WATCH): New Audio: Oz Says Abortion Is “Murder” At Any Stage Of Pregnancy

MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson: “New audio just in to NBC News featuring Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz at a tele-town hall back in May and here’s what he said about abortion: ‘If life starts at coneception, why do you care what stage our heart starts beating at? It’s, you know, it’s still murder.’” 

Philadelphia Inquirer: Mehmet Oz called abortion ‘murder’ during the Pa. Republican Senate primary, recording shows

• Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz called abortion “murder” during a campaign event in May, according to a newly revealed audio recording, using harsher language with conservative supporters.

• The recording of Oz’s comments, first reported Wednesday by the liberal outlet The Daily Beast and confirmed by NBC News, draws renewed attention to Oz’s stance on one of the most pivotal issues in this fall’s midterm elections.

• And it opened the door to renewed Democratic criticism calling Oz extreme on the issue.

• The campaign of Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee, pointed to the May comments to argue that Oz would take a far-right stand on the procedure, and could be a Senate vote for criminalizing abortion.

• “Oz knows his abortion position isn’t popular. That’s why you need a hot mic in order to hear it,” said Fetterman campaign spokesperson Emilia Rowland. “Dr. Oz is wildly out of touch with the people of Pennsylvania who support abortion rights.”

The Hill: Oz likens abortion to murder in unearthed audio

• Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate and former celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz referred to abortion as “murder” during a tele townhall in May, according to audio obtained by The Hill.

• Fetterman’s campaign seized on Oz’s resurfaced comments in a statement on Wednesday.

• “Oz knows his abortion position isn’t popular. That’s why you need a hot mic in order to hear it. Dr. Oz is wildly out of touch with the people of Pennsylvania who support abortion rights by 9-10,” said Fetterman campaign spokesperson Emilia Rowland. “Dr. Oz wants to let extremists ban abortion with no exceptions in cases of rape or incest—in PA and across the country. If he’s elected, he will be a rubber stamp to criminalize abortion, appoint justices even more radical than today’s, and send doctors, nurses, and patients to jail.”

Vice News: Leaked Audio Shows Dr. Oz Calling Abortion ‘Murder’

• Mehmet Oz’s Pennsylvania Senate campaign has somehow hit yet another stumbling block: The TV personality known to millions as “Dr. Oz” has declared that abortion is murder, regardless of how early in the pregnancy it occurs—a position that likely puts him at odds with most of Pennsylvania’s electorate.

• The declaration came to light as other anti-abortion Republicans have run for cover four weeks after Kansans voted in overwhelming numbers to protect abortion rights. Several Republicans have recently tried to quietly play down their past support for abortion restrictions by removing or altering mentions of their abortion stances from their websites.

• Pennsylvania, in particular, is seeing sky-high support for abortion: Nine in 10 Pennsylvania voters support abortion access in some way, according to Franklin & Marshall College poll results published last week.

• Throughout his campaign, Oz has been repeatedly criticized for being out of touch with Pennsylvanians. He became the laughingstock of the internet earlier this month, when he released a video of himself shopping for “crudité” at a grocery store he called “Wegners”—a grocery store that does not exist and is apparently a portmanteau of the Redner’s and Wegmans grocery store chains.

• A spokesperson for John Fetterman, the Democrat running against Oz, seized on his anti-abortion remarks as further evidence that he doesn’t want what Pennsylvanians want.

MSNBC: On abortion, Mehmet Oz tripped up by newly released audio recording

• This would make him one of the most extreme Senate candidates in the nation on the issue of reproductive rights. To argue that life begins at conception, and terminating any unwanted pregnancy is “murder,” is a position that even many Republicans generally avoid.

• In April, the Republican appeared in a debate and said he supports exceptions “for the life of the mother,” without mentioning rape and incest. And a month later, he said life begins at conception and referred to abortion as “murder.”

• If you’re thinking this might be the basis for an upcoming campaign ad in the Keystone State, you’re not alone.

Jezebel: Dr. Oz Said Abortion at Any Stage of Pregnancy Is Murder, Backtracking on Previous Position

• Mehmet Oz, the Republican nominee for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat, has been stuck in a relentless news cycle about him being a 10-home-owning millionaire who eats crudités and actually lives in New Jersey. He has likely been wanting to return to discussions of the issues.

• Well, he’s in luck! The Daily Beast obtained audio from a May virtual town hall, a week before the Republican primary, in which Oz said that abortion is murder at any stage of pregnancy.

• “I do believe life starts at conception, and I’ve said that multiple times,” Oz said, per the The Daily Beast. “If life starts at conception, why do you care what age the heart starts beating at? It’s, you know, it’s still murder, if you were to terminate a child whether their heart’s beating or not.”

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