Yahoo News Donald Trump claims mothers and doctors ‘execute babies’ in controversial abortion speech
Donald Trump has sparked anger by making a false claim surrounding abortion that doctors “execute” newborn babies.
The US president made the extraordinary claim that mothers and doctors are given the choice to end the baby’s life just after it is born.
He made his astonishing comments at a Make America Great Again rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Saturday night.
"The baby is born," Mr Trump told the crowd of 10,000 people at the Risch Center.
"The mother meets with the doctor. They take care of the baby. They wrap the baby beautifully, and then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby."
Mr Trump made his comments after criticising Wisconsin’s Democrat governor Tony Evers for planning to veto a Republican-backed bill that would require doctors to fight to save the life of any baby “born alive” during an attempted abortion.
The bill could see doctors face life imprisonment for failing to give medical care to children born alive after a failed abortion.
Julia Pulver, a Michigan nurse at a newborn intensive care unit (NICU), took to Twitter to criticise the president’s “sick accusation”, and her remarks went viral.
She wrote: “No one ever, in any hospital, nor any mother who has just given birth, is conspiring with a doctor on whether or not to commit infanticide.”
Thread: As a NICU nurse, I served on the “Bereavement Team.” We were a special team of Nurses tough enough to help new parents go through the worst day of their lives. Parents of babies who had fought so hard for their tiny little lives and weren’t going to make it... 1/ https://t.co/2ZzDAEziyi
— Julia Pulver, RN (@VotePulver) April 28, 2019
The president’s comments came as the Washington Post revealed that he has now made more than 10,000 false and misleading statements since he was inaugurated.
The newspaper said its Fact Checker database found that Mr Trump made an average of eight false claims per day.
After his speech in Wisconsin, Mr Trump had made 10,111 false or misleading statements, the Post said, adding that “the tsunami of untruths just keeps looming larger and larger”.
Mr Trump used his speech to boast of a strong economy and criticised his Democratic presidential opponents.
Turning to presidential politics, the president had a suggestion for members of the Democratic Party.
Read more
Health Secretary adds prominent addiction warnings to opioid painkillers
Nicola Sturgeon calls for second referendum vote - 'Scotland needs independent future’
Heathrow Airport introduces technology so you won't have to show your passport
"They should change that to the Radical Left Democrat Party," he told the crowd.
“It's crazy what's going on with them. Oh, do I look forward to running against them."
It was a signal that what the president and Republicans have been saying about Democrats for months could be a lasting part of his reelection campaign story.
In contrast, he said, "The Republican Party is the party of all Americans. And common sense," he said, eliciting cheers and chants of "USA!"
Mr Trump also referenced his nicknames for two of the leading Democratic presidential contenders - "Sleepy Joe" Biden and "Crazy Bernie" Sanders - and predicted that Elizabeth Warren's candidacy was already over.
Mr Trump warned his supporters that Democrats would take away their guns, promised anew to build a wall along the US border with Mexico and pledged to come up with a plan for healthcare after the next election.
