The question of whether a woman should be allowed to terminate a pregnancy that resulted from rape or incest got some airtime at Saturday’s presidential debate, with Sen. Marco Rubio articulating a different position than his Republican counterparts.
The Florida senator stood firm on the opinion he has stated in the past, that abortion should be allowed only if the women’s life is at stake, and not if she became pregnant through rape or incest. Those situations are the only three in which federal funding can be used for abortions under the federal Hyde Amendment.
“It’s a difficult issue because it puts in conflict two competing rights,” Rubio said at the ABC-sponsored debate. “On the one hand is the right of a woman to decide what to do with her body, which is a real right. And on the other hand is the right of an unborn child to live. They’re in conflict, and as a policymaker I must choose which one of these two sides take precedent and I choose to err on the side of life.”
But New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush made clear they’re sticking with the Hyde language, saying women in those three cases should be able to get an abortion and expressing concerns that Rubio’s position could be too hardline for some GOP voters.
“I think we have to be cognizent that there are a lot of people who are concerned about having a pro-life view without any exceptions,” Bush said.
Referring to abortion as “murder,” Christie said he opposes the procedure except for in those same three cases, equating a woman’s decision to get an abortion due to rape or incest as “self-defense.”
“That woman should not have to deliver that child if they believe that violation is now an act of self defense by terminating that pregnancy,” Christie said.
In response to Bush and Christie’s concerns, Rubio said he “would rather lose an election than be wrong on the issue of life.” But it’s a position Democrats stand ready to pounce on. “On abortion, @marcorubio tries to clean up his ‘no exceptions’ position from first debate, which would haunt him in a general,” tweeted Obama political advisor David Axelrod.
The Republicans also criticized Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton for supporting abortions performed in late pregnancy and scolded the media for not asking her more questions about that position. Rubio said it’s “outrageous” that the Democratic presidential debates haven’t included questions about abortion.
“On abortion, the Democrats are extremist,” Rubio said. “Why doesn’t the media ask Hillary Clinton why she thinks all abortions should be legal? They are the extremists when it comes to abortion, and I can’t wait to expose them in a general election.”
