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Molinaro opposes many abortions
With the Supreme Court overturning the Roe vs. Wade decision earlier this year, views on abortion have been center stage in every election in America since, and that continues this fall in the new New York 19th Congressional District contest between Republican Marc Molinaro and Democrat Josh Riley. Molinaro lost a special election for the old version of the district in August to Democrat Pat Ryan, and many political observers wrote that Democratic turnout was up in that race because of the abortion issue. Riley has been clear that he supports abortion rights, and his campaign website says, "Women’s healthcare decisions are women’s healthcare decisions, not the government’s." Molinaro's campaign website avoids the issue completely in the "policy" section. Molinaro has said he opposes most abortions after 17 weeks. “I don’t want government in the specific decision making that women will have to make, I don’t,” Molinaro said at a Sept. 1 town hall meeting with voters in Endicott, in Broome County. “But I also want to be respectful of the fact, at some point there ought to be some limitation, except in the case of life of the mother, rape and incest.” His 17-week limit is very close to the 15-week abortion ban that South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham recently proposed. Just after Molinaro lost to Ryan he appeared on the right-wing Newsmax network, which has reported conspiracy theories and lets guests incorrectly state that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen," and he was asked about the abortion issue. Click here to play or download short excerpt of Molinaro on Newsmax.