Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) went at it with Xavier Becerra, Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, after he said that “common ground” can be found on late-term, partial-birth abortions.

While grilling Becerra, Romney asked him why he voted against legislation that banned partial-birth abortions, Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, during his time in the House. This bill outlawed partial-birth abortions of babies who have heartbeats.

Close

“Most people agree that partial-birth abortion is awful. You voted against a ban on partial-birth abortion. Why?” Romney asked.

Becerra responded by saying that “people have different deeply held beliefs” on abortion, adding that he feels “common ground” can be found on the issue.

“I have worked, as I mentioned, for decades trying to protect the health of men and women, young and old,” Becerra said. “And as attorney general, my job has been to follow the law and make sure others are following the law.”

“So, I will tell you that when I come to these issues, I understand that we may not always agree on where to go, but I think we can find some common ground on these issues because everyone wants to make sure that if you have an opportunity, you’re going to live a healthy life,” he added. “And I will tell you I hope to be able to work with you and others to reach that common ground on so many different issues.”

Romney, however, was not having any of it.

“I think we can reach common ground on many issues, but on partial-birth abortion, it sounds like we are not going to reach common ground there,” Romney fired back.

Republicans have been slamming Biden for nominating Becerra, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) calling him out for his lack of professional experience.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

“[Becerra] is not a doctor. He has no scientific background. He has no background in virology, he has never worked at a pharmaceutical company — he’s got nothing to do with health care,” Cruz told Fox News. “But what is he? He is a trial lawyer! And his only experience, as far as I can tell, with health care is he sued the Little Sisters of the Poor.”