During the latest presidential debate, right-wing media and abortion opponents latched on to a comment from Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren about an alleged demand from candidate Michael Bloomberg for a pregnant employee to have an abortion. Bloomberg denied the claim. However, right-wing and anti-abortion figures continued their dishonest push to paint Democratic candidates as “extreme” by appearing bizarrely confused why “radically pro-infanticide” Warren would have a problem with Bloomberg “suggesting that a woman kill her baby.” In their disingenuous attacks, these figures ignore that the core of supporting abortion rights is the belief that people should have a choice over their reproductive rights decisions.

On February 25, Democratic presidential candidates participated in the 10th debate of the 2020 election cycle. While they didn’t talk about abortion in terms of policy decisions, Warren brought up a story reported by The Washington Post that in 1995, Bloomberg allegedly told a pregnant employee to “kill it.” According to the Post, “Bloomberg has denied her allegation under oath, and he reached a confidential settlement with the saleswoman.” Warren mentioned the story while talking about pregnancy discrimination she had faced. Bloomberg denied the allegation, saying, “I never said that.”

Right-wing media and abortion opponents singled out this comment from Warren as an opportunity to attack the Democratic candidates on abortion. That comes as no surprise as during the 2020 election cycle, those same people and outlets have pushed sensationalized lies about Democratic candidates supporting “infanticide” and “born-alive” abortions. In fact, on the same day of the debate, Senate Republicans held votes on two anti-abortion bills meant to help them and their right-wing media allies attack Democrats as out of touch with voters -- a “scandal” created whole cloth from right-wing misinformation.

Writer Robin Marty and Vice News Senior Editor Susan Rinkunas called out the manufactured reaction of abortion opponents on Twitter:

Here are some of the most dishonest reactions to Warren's comments from right-wing media and abortion opponents’:

• The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh:

• On Fox Business’ Mornings with Maria Bartiromo, Fox Business’ Dagen McDowell attacked Warren for her comments, saying that she was “surprised” Warren brought up the accusations against Bloomberg because the alleged comment is “essentially the left’s position.” She also said that Warren’s criticism amounted to “let me explain what infanticide looks like.” Later in the segment, Mattie Duppler of the National Taxpayers Union brought up the two Senate bills voted on the day of the debate, falsely claiming that the Democrats’ move to stop the bills demonstrated “a radical position; the rest of the country isn’t there, where Democrats are right now. And that just really [brings that] point home with Elizabeth Warren yesterday at the debate.”

• National Review’s Dan McLaughlin:

• Washington Examiner contributor Kimberly Ross:

• Spectator USA’s Amber Athey:

• Charles Koch Institute’s Casey Mattox:

• Anti-abortion organization Susan B. Anthony List’s Nicole Stacy:

• National Review’s Alexandra DeSanctis:

• Washington Examiner’s Kaylee McGhee claimed, “There’s just one problem with Warren’s anecdote: She, like every other Democrat on that stage, supports open-ended access to abortion, which is the taking of a human life — whether she’ll admit it or not.”

• One America News Network’s Liz Wheeler:

• The Daily Caller’s Mary Margaret Olohan:

• Former Turning Points USA official Kyle Kashuv:

• BlazeTV’s Allie Beth Stuckey: