In a wide-ranging interview with the Associated Press that was broadcasted live on Facebook, Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) proudly reaffirmed his staunch pro-choice beliefs.
When asked if he would ever support a “personhood” amendment or legislation that codifies that life begins at conception, Jones made it clear he would not. The junior senator from Alabama used the example of a Mississippi amendment that failed in 2011 to say that “personhood” policy is “fraught with peril” which risked “opening up Pandora’s box.”
“I would urge a rejection of that [type of] amendment,” Jones added.
He was then asked directly if he favored “abortion access [and] abortion rights.”
“I am in favor of a woman’s freedom to choose,” Jones responded.
He continued, “I am in favor of the law as it exists today with a woman’s freedom to choose.”
Jones voted against a late-term abortion ban earlier this year called the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.”
Earlier in the interview, he also touched on his infamous vote against Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
When asked if that vote hurts him in Alabama, Jones said, “I think it remains to be seen.”
Speaking specifically in the context of his re-election bid in 2020, he added, “At the end of the day, I don’t think it will be a deciding factor for very many people.”
He also emphasized that he was proud of the preparation he and his team did leading to the “no” vote.
“[W]e did the best we could,” Jones concluded.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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