Democratic presidential candidate former technology executive Andrew Yang walks onto the stage before a Democratic presidential primary debate, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

California businessman Andrew Yang dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary race Tuesday night. But had he not done so, he’d have likely been pushed out soon enough after remarks he made to New Hampshire Democrats recently on the issue of abortion that angered pro-choice feminists.

On Saturday, a number of Democratic presidential candidates including Yang appeared at the “Our Rights, Our Courts” forum in Concord, New Hampshire. The event was sponsored by a number of left wing groups, including the militantly pro-abortion NARAL as well as the Center for Reproductive Rights. NBC News, MSNBC, and the Huffington Post co-hosted the event.

Naturally, the questions asked of each of the candidates centered around judicial nominations, the Supreme Court, and the so-called “right” to abortion. When it was Yang’s turn, in the middle of his segment MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle asked him specifically about late term abortions and how he would be “sensitive” to people who did not support them. As Yang answered the question, you could have heard a pin drop (bolded emphasis added):

“I think we have get back to the point where no one is suggesting that we be celebrating an abortion at any point during in the pregnancy. There was a time in Democratic circles where we used to talk about it being something that you don’t like to see but that should be within the freedoms of the woman and the mother to decide.



And so, to me I think there is a really important tone to set on this where you don’t just say we’re absolutists about it. Though I have to say I am relatively absolutist on this, like I think that it should be completely up the woman and her doctor and the state should not be intervening all the way through pregnancy.



But it’s a tragedy to me if someone decides that they don’t want to have a child and they’re on the fence and then maybe at some point later, it’s a very, very difficult personal decision and it’s something that we should be very, very sensitive to. I think that celebrating children, family, like these are universal human values and if we manage to lead on that and say that we also stand for women’s reproductive rights, I believe we can bring Americans closer together on a really, really important personal issue.”

Watch:

Yang on late-term abortions #OurRightsOurCourts: “We have to get back to the point where nobody should be celebrating abortion… it’s a tragedy, to me, if someone decides they don’t want to have a child… celebrating children, family, these are universal human values” pic.twitter.com/HdgFsTZzO8 — Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) February 8, 2020

If you read between the lines here, what Yang was saying is that the Democratic party needs to get back to the “safe, legal and rare” mantra it used to have when it comes to abortion. Understood in those 4 words was that even though abortion was legal, it should rarely be done. While Yang’s position is a far cry from the pro-life position I like to see from candidates for public office, it’s welcomed switch from “shout my abortion!” campaigns.

As we’ve documented here at RedState, the Democratic party has taken an extreme view of abortion over the last couple of decades, saying that it should be applauded and shouted out no matter at what point in the pregnancy it occurs.

Yang’s position, which is similar to Democratic candidate for president Tulsi Gabbard’s, is that even though it should be legal it’s a tragedy to have one because children and families should be celebrated. Because of that, he wouldn’t have made it much further in the Democratic primaries had he stayed in the race a few more weeks.

Here are just a few of the many negative reactions pro-abortion liberals had to Yang’s comments:

This is abortion stigma and it’s an absolute embarrassment. Abortion is not a tragedy; it’s a choice and a fundamental right. No Democratic candidate should be speaking like this, especially when legal abortion hangs by a thread. Shame on Yang. https://t.co/XPq3UjjwX3 — Lauren Rankin (@laurenarankin) February 8, 2020

I had a couple of people say to me last night during the debate that all the Dems are basically the same on abortion. They're not. They're just not. Yang's argument here is tendentious, wrong, and dangerous. https://t.co/HmfStaeBzj — Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) February 8, 2020

Looks like Yang is having some trouble grasping some fundamentals about a woman’s right to choose, including the fact that “celebrating abortion” is a pro-life extremist talking point. No one celebrates abortion, dude. Leave this to the people with wombs, okay? https://t.co/bPsKXjXc0W — Kaz Weida (@kazweida) February 8, 2020

Cool. So in summary, Yang is fine with safe and legal abortions, as long as women feel judged and ashamed while getting them. Glad we've cleared that up. https://t.co/2zqJ7hKRcC — Matthew Chapman (@fawfulfan) February 8, 2020

After documenting the feminist outrage over Yang’s remarks about abortion being a tragedy, Cassy Fiano-Chesser at Live Action astutely pointed out that the mere suggestion that an abortion was a regretful act would not be tolerated by feminists, not even when the remarks come from someone who also believes the woman should have the right to abort in the third trimester:

This kind of rampant pro-abortion extremism means that even candidates who support unrestricted abortion are not welcome in politics if they express any thoughts on abortion that are not completely celebratory. It’s apparently no longer enough to say abortion should be legal; for radical abortion supporters, it must be framed as something entirely positive and empowering.

As further proof, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said at that same forum that being pro-abortion was “essential” to being a Democrat.

It’s sad, but it’s who they are now.