After rejecting the suggestion that he supports exceptions for rape and incest in bans on abortion during the Thursday night Republican debate, Rubio on Friday morning reiterated that he does not support the exceptions.
“I think both of those instances are horrifying, and fortunately, they’re extremely rare. It happens, and any time it happens, it’s horrifying, it’s a tragedy,” he told CNN’s Chris Cuomo. “But I personally and honestly and deeply believe that all human life is worthy of protection, irrespective of the circumstances in which that human life was created. I personally believe that you do not correct one tragedy with another.”
Rubio introduced legislation in 2013 banning abortion after 20 weeks that included exceptions for rape and incest, and Megyn Kelly on Thursday night suggested that Rubio supports those exceptions. Rubio on Thursday promptly said that he “never advocated that.”
A majority of Americans have consistently supported exceptions for rape and incest, according to Gallup polls conducted since 1996.
On Friday morning, Rubio said that while he recognizes that it’s a “tough question,” he always errs on the “side of life.” Cuomo then pressed Rubio on whether he believes that life begins at conception.
Rubio argued that science has decided that life begins at conception, but Cuomo pressed him on his stance, saying that Rubio’s position was based on faith, not science.
“Do you want to really have a government in the decision of deciding what a human life is and what’s not a human life?” Rubio finally asked.
Watch the interview via CNN:
