Arizona Democratic congressional candidate Hiral Tipirneni on Sunday voiced her support for late-term abortion by saying the decision should be "based on medical input from very experienced physicians."
Tipirneni appeared on MSNBC's "Kasie DC," where host Kasie Hunt asked her about the abortion position of former Rep. Trent Franks (R., Ariz.), who previously held the seat she is running for.
"One issue that Trent Franks was known for that he focused on quite a bit in Washington, D.C. was the issue of abortion, and he had a very strong anti-abortion views. I'm wondering, what is your position? Would you support for example a ban on partial-birth abortion?" Hunt asked.
"I'm a physician, and I have seen and witnessed women making or having to face that choice, that heartbreaking, gut-wrenching choice," Tipirneni said. "I truly do believe that is a decision that should be between a woman, her partner, her physician, and her faith."
"If we want [abortion] to be rare, then let's focus on things like comprehensive sex education in the classrooms that's age appropriate and making sure that women have access to contraception," she added.
Hunt pressed further on whether she thought there should be any limits on abortion.
"Is there a point at which you do think abortion should be limited?" Hunt asked.
"Late-term abortions, those are based on medical input from very experienced physicians, and it’s usually related to a risk to the woman’s life," Tipirneni said, signaling support. "It is not something that is made frivolously. It is something that is very critical, and I don’t think that that’s something that we should be legislating. We need to let medical professionals make that decision based on what is best for that patient."
Tipirneni will face off against Republican Debbie Lesko on Tuesday in a special election to fill the 8th Congressional District seat vacated by Franks, who resigned amid controversy last December.