couple things:
1. Buttigieg definitely said that in January/February when he was still running for president. Definitely wasn't said to be pertinent to the current supreme court justice nomination.
2. Buttigieg also is very invested in grounding basic Dem policy with language regarding faith - his argument is one that is trying to appeal to swayable Christians to appeal to their sense of empathy. Whether right or wrong, he has had his angle he consistently tries to work.
3. There is no medical definition of a late-term abortion, but most abortions that happen past the 20th week are because the women trying to get the abortion lives far away from a clinic/can't afford the time off to go/can't afford the procedure/won't get it covered under their insurance. Which is why Roe vs Wade can still be upheld but abortion access still be fucked up. When you only allow abortions for people who are 20+ weeks pregnant when it's medically necessary, but put up roadblocks in access to abortion clinics, you are de facto prohibiting certain people from getting abortions while still upholding previous SC decisions.
Republicans right now are generally not attempting to overturn Roe vs Wade, they tend to just put up huge hurdles for women to get abortions quickly, and then make up some deadline when abortions turn into "state sanctioned murder," which allow them to win their fight while saying they respect the Supreme Court. Focusing on Roe v Wade is just political shorthand for both parties to activate parts of their base.
edit: oh yeah, and 4. mj making up talking points regarding what Buttigieg probably meant to say/argue is hilariously on brand.