Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany took Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams to task after the latter claimed men “manufactured” fetal heart tones so they could “take control” of women.
“There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body,” Abrams said this week during a campaign event at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center in Atlanta.
“I believe that abortion is a medical decision, not a political decision. Arbitrary politically-defined timelines are deeply problematic because they ignore the reality of medical and physiological issues,” she added.
McEnany responded quickly to Abrams’ false claim, calling her unequivocally “wrong.”
“Stacey Abrams said there’s ‘no such thing as a heartbeat at 6 weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body’ – She is wrong! I heard my baby’s heartbeat at my 1st OBGYN appointment. It was not manufactured!” she tweeted along with a clip of her explaining the situation during a segment on Fox News’ “Outnumbered” program, where she is a co-host.
Stacey Abrams said there's "no such thing as a heartbeat at 6 weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman's body"
She is wrong!
I heard my baby's heartbeat at my 1st OBGYN appointment. It was not manufactured! pic.twitter.com/KWcGinNzcV
— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) September 22, 2022
The Republican National Committee posted a clip of Abrams making her remarks on Twitter, reminding all that she also supports no limits on abortion.
Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams: "There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman's body."
REMINDER: Abrams supports NO LIMITS on abortion. pic.twitter.com/f7XxeqzfF6
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 22, 2022
In a separate tweet, McEnany called Abrams’ claim “absurd.”
“This is one of the most absurd things that I have ever heard uttered by a politician. So much for the science!” she wrote.
This is one of the most absurd things that I have ever heard uttered by a politician.
So much for the science!
Covering this on @OutnumberedFNC @FoxNews – join us at 12 pm ET! https://t.co/QFd4cFoihc
— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) September 22, 2022
Abrams’ remark comes as her bid to unseat incumbent GOP Gov. Brian Kemp is losing ground, per Axios:
Kemp’s lead on Abrams was 50% to 42%, up from five points in the AJC’s July poll.
By the numbers: The survey (Sept. 5-16, margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points) showed double-digit leads for Republican nominees for lieutenant governor, attorney general and secretary of state.
It also revealed a 37% approval rating for President Biden.
What we’re watching: More signs of split-ticket voting. Nearly 1 in 10 Warnock’s supporters said they back Kemp.
