May 17, 2019 11:48 AM UTC

Gardner Dodges Question about Alabama Abortion Ban, Saying He Was Late for a Meeting

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• by: Jason Salzman

A reporter from The Hill, a Washington DC new site, tracked down Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner today for a comment on the new law in Alabama, banning all abortion in the state.

Gardner declined to comment, as the Hill’s Alexander Bolton reported:

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), when approached, said he was late to a meeting and referred questions to his office. Aides to Gardner did not respond to a request for comment.

Gardner is one of two Republicans running next year in a state Clinton carried in 2016.

During his election campaign in 2014, Gardner repeatedly claimed not to have co-sponsored a federal personhood bill, which would have also banned abortion. He claimed the bill was just a statement of life, a claim debunked repeatedly by fact checkers.

But Gardner has been a staunch opponent of all abortion throughout his political career, using anti-abortion activists to help carry him into the U.S. House of Representatives and then shifting his stance to help win his current U.S. Senate seat.

He’s voted to defund Planned Parenthood 10 times since he’s been in federal office.

Most recently, he’s been part of a Republican misinformation campaign against abortions late in pregnancy.

And he voted to ban abortion after 20 weeks.

Gardner’s office did not return a call for comment.