Nobody expected this!
The hosts of the popular talk show “The View” expressed their personal discontent one year after the historic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. They passionately shared their emotions and criticized Democrats for not enshrining abortion rights into the federal legislation.
During their trip to The Bahamas last year, the hosts of the show received the news that the Supreme Court had overturned the abortion rights decision. This revelation evoked a strong reaction from co-host Joy Behar, who humorously expressed her frustration by jokingly suggesting the idea of throwing someone out of the plane.
In transcript provided by Fox, Joy Behar stated, “I was mad that day… We were really pissed off. Remember how mad we were?”
“It was just so shocking. I don’t think anyone imagined that the Supreme Court would overturn really a privacy right, because we have privacy via the Constitution,” co-host Sunny Hostin added.
In a recent episode, the show featured a clip from MSNBC, showcasing Vice President Kamala Harris as a prominent advocate for abortion rights within the Biden administration following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Harris discussed the empowering effect the issue had on women, even in traditionally conservative states, and mentioned the possibility of Congress enacting legislation to establish the “privacy right” as law.
Behar criticized Democrats saying, “It turns out that Democrats had the chance to codify Roe v. Wade in the past few decades, and they dropped the ball under [Bill] Clinton when they had the numbers in the Congress, and in 2009 under [Barack] Obama… What makes her think this is going to happen now?”
During the discussion, one of the hosts speculated that Vice President Harris may be using the abortion issue as a means to mobilize voters. The conversation acknowledged that the Democratic Party’s stance on abortion was partially credited with their better-than-expected performance in the 2022 midterms, where they gained a Senate seat and experienced fewer House losses than initially anticipated. However, due to the Republican majority in the House, the likelihood of passing an abortion rights bill before the next election was deemed improbable.
Hostin expressed her frustration over conservative Supreme Court nominees who, in her view, had promised to uphold Roe v. Wade as a “super precedent” but had failed to honor their commitment. She criticized their alleged disregard for the oath they took to respect the established legal precedent.
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin asserted that Democrats had a responsibility to engage with Republicans who demonstrated good faith and find a middle ground on the issue. She pointed out that a majority of Americans, while not advocating for unrestricted access to abortion, also did not support a complete ban on it.
Expressing her viewpoint, co-host Ana Navarro, who identifies as a Republican but has strong criticisms of the party, argued against blaming Democrats for the current state of abortion rights. Instead, she asserted that the Republicans were the primary responsible party for the existing situation regarding abortion rights.
“I think everybody had let their guard down,” she noted.
Co-host Sara Haines expressed her frustration and anger towards politicians from all parties regarding the state of affairs concerning abortion rights. She conveyed her discontent with the overall political landscape and the role played by politicians in shaping the situation.
Haines stated, “Definitely the right and the far religious right have kept us here. They’re the ones that fought for this for years and years and years, but my frustration is I think all politicians put this on the ballot to weaponize against the other side, the other point of view, and never solve it for the actual people. That’s what pisses me off — upsets me a lot.”
As the panel discussion concluded, Behar issued a warning to Republicans, emphasizing the determination of their viewership by asking, “We’re going to come out and vote, aren’t we?” Her statement implied that their audience would actively participate in the democratic process and make their voices heard during elections.