PolitiFact Throws ‘Mostly False’ at Ad Exposing Dr. Oz’s ‘Pro-Abortion’ Talk in 2019

PolitiFact has jumped into evaluating the contentious Pennsylvania Republican primary to succeed Sen. Pat Toomey. PolitiFact has not been easy on Dr. Mehmet O, the famous candidate in this race. For some reason, they decided to use Dave McCormick’s negative ad about abortion. It shows the shocking flip-flop Dr. Oz just recently made on abortion. McCormick drew a Mostly False for claiming Oz “Is”pro-abortion.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGqofrDxCKE

PolitiFact’s Tom Kertscher explained how the ad was themed:

The minute-long video opens with a clip of Oz in a Senate debate saying: “There isn’t, to my knowledge, evidence that I’m not ‘pro-life.’” 

Next, Oz talks about abortion during a radio interview. The ad labels the video “Evidence starting in 2019”. 

This is the end of the ad: Mehmet Oz. Pro-abortion. Anti-life. Hollywood liberal

Politicans often say “prolife,” “pro-choice” and “pro-abortion” despite not knowing the exact meanings of these labels. 

PolitiFact was not involved in exposing Oz because they were “uncertain” meanings. Even if the meanings are accurate, why don’t PolitiFact fact-check Oz to see if there is any evidence that he’s not pro-life? This ad is a sham.

Kertscher explained that Dr. Oz appeared on the talk show “The Breakfast Club” and “he spoke in favor of access to the procedure. He also stated that he opposed the procedure personally and would recommend to his family not having it. Similar to Mario Cuomo (the late Democratic senator), who stated that he personally did not support abortion but could be considered to favor a “right-to-choose” option.

The host of the program stated that she was afraid women will seek illegal and dangerous abortions.

“As a doctor, just putting my doctor hat on, it’s a big-time concern,” Oz said. “Because my medical school was in Philadelphia, I am familiar with the issues. I saw women who’d had coat-hanger events. They’re really traumatic events that happenThey were much younger than Roe v. Wade. Many of these people were permanently harmed. Emotionally, there’s scarring anyway….”

Oz warned that Alabama’s law could have economic consequences, saying, “You want to ban abortion, make that loud and clear, but there’s going to be a big sucking sound of businesses leaving there.“

“If someone deep in their heart feels that the moment of conception is a human life, and they just can’t deal with that life being harmed, they got to be heard, they can’t get ignored. However that doesn’t mean that’s what the rule of the land is.” 

This makes Oz seem like a normal Democrat. This can be very damaging in a Republican primaries. It’s not “pro-life” to say “I’m personally opposed to abortion, but would never make it the law of the land.”

Kertscher concluded that the advertisement is most false because it misleads voters regarding the positions Oz claimed he would take as an elected leader.

It doesn’t contain Oz’s Mehmet-Comes-Lately current promises. But the feeling you get is that PolitiFact doesn’t like advertisements brandishing the word “pro-abortion,” and it really loathes conservatives pointing out when people advocate the “right to choose” extending up to birth. 

PS: The abortion portion of the show can be viewed here. (I cued)

Oz said “I think the rule that most Americans seem to support is, if the child is viable outside the womb, then you don’t want to kill that child. If the child was not going to survive outside the mom, then the mom runs the show.”

Then he punts the whole issue: “Is this how we want to spend our time? There’s so much we have to face in the world…we have so much we’ve gotta do to take care of each other. To start picking fights on this?”