Tim Ryan Says Abortion Rights Are At Risk Because Democrats “Keep Losing Elections”

The Ohio representative who is now running for president said his state has been “one of the worst states in the union when it comes to women’s health.”

Full interview: @RepTimRyan talks with #AM2DM about his presidential aspiration, the #MuellerReport, and more

Tim Ryan, a representative from Ohio who recently launched a presidential campaign, said he’s “worried” that the Supreme Court is “too conservative” on issues like abortion and added that he isn’t sure if a new six-week abortion ban in his state would be overturned.

“This is what happens when we keep losing elections,” Ryan said Thursday on BuzzFeed News’ AM to DM. “Then we can’t get anybody on the Supreme Court who protects a woman’s right to choose. Ohio’s been nasty about this over the last several years — one of the worst states in the union when it comes to women’s health.”

Ryan, who opposed abortion rights before announcing he was for them in 2015, said that he’d changed his mind on the issue after meeting women who were in difficult circumstances while serving in Congress.

“I came in as a Catholic schoolkid from northeast Ohio who didn’t think a whole lot about the issue and went into Congress pro-life,” Ryan said. “My opinion changed that there should not be anyone from the federal government between a woman and her doctor.”

Later in the interview, Ryan admitted that his Twitter presence was a bit…boring, and that if people wanted to see some more life, they should head over to his Instagram. (Ryan’s Instagram does include a few photos of his dogs Bear and Buckeye.)

Ryan also jokingly told AM to DM that he would make Cardi B the secretary of commerce if he were elected president; this was after the rapper posted on her Instagram story that she was interested in learning more about him after watching his presidential campaign launch.

Every American deserves quality health care, period. Hope to earn your trust, @iamcardib. https://t.co/9sYGxkIlz1

“I was watching the news, and I saw this guy named Tim Ryan. And his speech was very convincing to me,” Cardi told Variety during a red carpet interview last Friday. “He really wants to give the United States free health care, so that’s a big plus. We need health care. So I don’t know. We’ll see.”

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