MSNBC anchor Kasie Hunt caught herself favorably describing pro-life Democrats Thursday, stopping herself mid-sentence to call them "anti-abortion" instead.
On air Thursday, she remarked at the totality of the Democratic Party's embrace of abortion. "This has been something that has been part of Catholic Democrat orthodoxy for many many years," she said. Now, however, that coalition is "all but extinct."
In describing the shift, she described the disappearance of "pro-life—or anti-abortion Democrats, I should say," she said, jumping to correct herself.
Discussing the issue with Juana Summers of the Associated Press, Hunt noted that Democrats had long supported the Hyde Amendment. The 1976 legislation prohibits restricts federal funds going toward abortion procedures.
"With all of the bans in states, this has really become a central issue," she said.
This week, Joe Biden (D) came under fire from Planned Parenthood and others for expressing support for the amendment. The remaining Democratic candidates for president, even those who previously voted for the amendment, now oppose it.
"It appears that this is becoming a litmus test here for Joe Biden," Hunt said.
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Most critics of legalized abortion claim the procedure results in the termination of an unborn life. The practice has been protected at the federal level since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The Supreme Court ruling did not mandate that the government pay for the procedure, which the Hyde Amendment restricts.
Advocating for the amendment's repeal has given other Democrats trouble. Earlier Thursday, Rep. Seth Moulton (D., Mass.) criticized defenders of the Hyde Amendment. He compared not using tax dollars for abortion to defunding the troops.
"It's sort of like saying, you know, I support the troops but don't want to pay them," Moulton said.
Hunt has referred to the pro-life position as "pro-life" in past comments, though not consistently. It was not immediately clear whether she had previously done so on air.
She previously explained the wording as a matter of policy. "We use 'anti-abortion' and 'abortion rights supporters,'" she said, "not 'pro-life' or 'pro-choice.'"