The women of “The View” found themselves at odds once more on Friday morning, this time in debating whether or not an embryo should be considered a baby.
After the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos can legally be considered children — brought on by a wrongful death lawsuit from couples whose frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed at a fertility clinic in the state — and thus are protected under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act, the women of “The View” largely agreed that Republicans have not responded properly.
But eventually, the women found themselves at odds over the basis of the case. For Sara Haines, it’s indisputable that embryos are not babies.
“We talked about how egregious a 6-week ban was. A fertilized embryo is three to five days old. It is the size of the pen right there,” she said, holding up the ink tip of her pen. “It is not alive outside of a uterus. It has no organs. It is not a life yet, it is not viable ’til it’s 24 weeks.”
At that, host Sunny Hostin cut her off, explaining that, though Haines might believe that, there are other people in the world — including Hostin herself — who believe that “an embryo is the beginning of human life.”
But Haines remained adamant, telling her cohost bluntly: “This is science, Sunny!”
Hostin reiterated that she went through IVF to have both of her children, and as such, considers the beginning of their life to be when their embryos were created. Still, Haines was unmoved.
“Yeah but that doesn’t mean facts change,” she shot back. “The embryo is an embryo until ten weeks, when it becomes a fetus. A fetus is not viable ’til 24 weeks. If we’re gonna use science, let’s use scientific terms. That’s what that is.”
After Hostin admitted that she believes an embryo is a child, host Alyssa Farah Griffin chimed in, wondered how Sunny could be anti-abortion. But, Hostin was quick to correct her cohost, making it clear that she personally does not believe in abortion, but does believe every woman should do what’s right for their own body.
“I believe the government shouldn’t be involved in women’s reproductive health, but I believe that abortion is wrong,” she explained. “And I also believe, not only through my faith, but through my experience of having two embryos implanted in my body, and I have a 21-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter, that I’m — my life would not be the same without them.”
She added, “And so if someone destroyed my embryos, I would feel like someone destroyed my children.”
At that, Sara Haines chimed in once more, saying, “Problematic, yes, but not a minor. It’s not a child!”
“The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.