Appearing as a guest on Tuesday's New Day on CNN to discuss polling showing that many Americans do not trust President Donald Trump, after the issue of Trump not believing in the global warming theory preferred by liberals was raised, the American Conservative Union's Matt Schlapp got into a heated exchange as he called out host Chris Cuomo for discounting science on the issue of when human life begins.
Schlapp: "It's about science. And guess what, you're wrong on the science, many of you who believe that people on the pro-life side aren't looking at the science of it. Come on, the science is on my side of the unique human nature of every unborn child."
In spite of the fact that a human embryo fits the scientific definition of a living being from the moment of conception, Cuomo insisted the issue is "not about science" as he responded: "It's not about science -- it's about ethics, religion, and morality, is what abortion's about. It's not about science."
After insisting "Nobody's making abortion about science," Cuomo added:
Nobody knows. You can believe it begins at conception. You can believe it begins 40 days after the way the Jews do. You can believe in viability. There is no known component to it. That's not what the science is behind climate change, Matt. They're not the same thing.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Tuesday, August 8, New Day on CNN:
MATT SCHLAPP: I haven't delved into your poll. All I will tell you is you've got to take some responsibility -- all of us do -- on the coverage of this. When you call the President a liar or other people do for 200 days -- which I think, even on climate change, to hear the coverage to say people like me who are skeptics over the idea that man is causing the globe to put itself in a position that it's so warm that human life will not be able to be sustained, I'm a skeptic of that. I'm not a liar.
CHRIS CUOMO: You're also not a scientist. And when you have 13 agencies and scientists from the government saying something and they're worried about being suppressed, it's a credibility issue, and that's why three out of four people say they don't trust the White House.
SCHLAPP: it's wrong for people in the media to say that people on issues of abortion, of climate change, on the size and scope of government --
CUOMO: How is abortion and climate change the same thing, Matt?
SCHLAPP: It's about science. And guess what, you're wrong on the science, many of you who believe that people on the pro-life side aren't looking at the science of it. Come on, the science is on my side of the unique human nature of every unborn child.
CUOMO: It's not about science -- it's about ethics, religion, and morality, is what abortion's about. It's not about science.
SCHLAPP: There's a political difference in -- just because somebody is on the other side, please don't call them a liar. That's not helping the country.
CUOMO: But who's calling -- listen, hold on a second, Anna (Navarro), hold on a second because I get a lot of this. You like to throw a label on something you don't like. I get it -- politically persuasive. But it's also BS a lot of the time, Matt. Nobody's making abortion about science. I didn't even bring up the issue.
SCHLAPP: It is about science.
CUOMO: You did. Abortion -- the idea of when life begins, guess what.
SCHLAPP: Is science.
CUOMO: Nobody knows. You can believe it begins at conception. You can believe it begins 40 days after the way the Jews do. You can believe in viability. There is no known component to it. That's not what the science is behind climate change, Matt. They're not the same thing.
SCHLAPP: The science of when life begins is unquestionable. And the question on climate change, actually there's a great diversity on the science. And we do have political disagreements. But I think it's wrong in this country when we call people who have a contrary position a liar, and that's what's dominating the coverage.
CUOMO: Right, Anna, that's a fair point that if you, just because you disagree, you call someone a liar. i agree with Matt. Disagreement doesn't mean someone's lying, someone's telling the truth. But that's also not the case with a lot of these issues, especially when it comes to climate science.
