Florida Senator and Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio stated that ” The idea that a human life is worthy of the protection of our laws, is not something that over time, anybody should evolve on” on Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “New Day.”
After playing his exchange during the first primetime debate where Rubio stated that saying he supports an exemption for rape and incest isn’t a “correct assessment” of his record, and that he has never said and “advocated” such an exemption, co-anchor Chris Cuomo asked Rubio whether he supports an exemption for abortion in cases of rape and incest, and his co-sponsorship of 2013’s SB 1670, which did have an exemption for rape and incest, Rubio said that every pro-life Senator and group supported that bill, and pointed out, “I’m in favor of a 20-week abortion ban. Does that mean I’m in favor of abortions at 19 weeks? No. Any bill that reduces the number of abortions, is a bill that I’m going to support.”
Cuomo countered, “the bill did have that carve-out and you said I’ve never been near it.” Rubio responded, “No, I didn’t say that. I said I’ve never advocated for that. … I’ve never said that I will only support a bill that has an exception in it. But I will support bills that have exceptions in it because they prevent abortions. I am here to try to save as many of those unborn children’s lives as possible. And again, you cannot find a single senator, who is pro-life, who refused to support that bill, because it had that exception in it.”
Rubio was then asked about his position against exemptions for rape and incest, he stated, “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. But I believe 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 a second tragedy. That’s how I personally feel, very strongly about. I believe all human life, irrespective of the circumstances in which it came into being, is worthy of the protection of our laws. And I recognize this is a tough question. It’s a very difficult question, and I understand that. Believe me, I do. But, by the same token, if I have to weigh the two equities here, I’m always going to err on the side of life. … and I think that’s a timeless principle. Certainly our economy has evolved. But when it comes to issues like the value of every human life, I think that’s a timeless principle.”
Cuomo then asked Rubio was “comfortable” with his his position being “not in step” with cultural beliefs. Rubio responded, “the value of life is timeless. The idea that a human life is worthy of the protection of our laws, is not something that over time, anybody should evolve on.”
Cuomo objected, “you’re deciding when it is human life.” Rubio answered, “No, science has decided when it is human life.” After Cuomo said that science hadn’t decided that life begins at conception, Rubio countered, “Absolutely it has. What else can it be? It cannot turn into an animal.”
Rubio was asked, “Don’t you think, if you want to be a leader of the future, that’s a question that deserves an answer that is definitive beyond your faith.” After Rubio answered that life begins at conception, Cuomo said, “That’s your faith. That’s not science.” Rubio responded with, “No, it isn’t. That’s science.”
Cuomo then told Rubio, “I will have scientists on the show all morning, from all walks of life, who will say, ‘We cannot say it is definitely human life at conception.’ It’s more faith than it is science.”
Rubio said, “They can’t say that it would be human life? What would it become then? Could it become a cat?” After Cuomo responded that Rubio was talking about “potential,” Rubio declared, “I can tell you this, that every single one of us started at that same stage, that it can’t become anything other than a human being, and that it’s neither up to you, nor I, nor any politicians to decide that we’re going to allow this life to move forward, and this life not to.”
After Cuomo re-iterated his suggestion that the answer to when life begins shouldn’t be decided by faith, Rubio answered, “I’m happy that my faith influences my political positions, because my faith teaches me to care for the needy. My faith teaches me to respect and love even my enemies. My faith teaches me to forgive those who slight me, so people should hope that my faith influences my political position. And in this case, yes, I’m proud to say that my faith influences me. It teaches me that God knew us when he formed us in the womb, and it does influence me to believe that all human life is worthy of protection, even a human life that doesn’t have a birth certificate, even human life that maybe some scientist wants to have a debate about. But I think the science is clear, that when…there is conception, that is a human life in the early stages of its total development, and it is worthy of the protection of our laws. And I am not in favor of destroying human life because people that somehow they’re going to some obscure scientific argument in the opposite. I hope we are always a country that errs on the side of life.”
(h/t Newsbusters)
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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