Exclusive — Lila Rose on ‘Exceptions’ for Abortion: ‘You Don’t Take Out the Punishment for Rape on a Child’

As some Republicans still support “exceptions” for abortion, such as rape or incest, Live Action president and founder Lila Rose told Breitbart News, “You don’t take out the punishment for rape on a child. You take it out on the abuser.”

“These are innocent human beings that are being killed legally in our country and it needs to stop,” she said in an exclusive interview. “And, you know, rape and sexual abuse are horrific, and we need more stringent penalties for abusers, and we need the best support possible for survivors of sexual trauma.”

“Abortion is not in any way going to take away sexual trauma,” she continued. “It only adds trauma and it ends the life of an innocent child.”

For some Republicans, there remains a question as to how far the country should be willing to go to protect unborn babies.

But to many conservatives, allowing for “exceptions” for abortion is an ideologically and morally inconsistent framework.

“You don’t take out the punishment for rape on a child. You take it out on the abuser, and I think that’s the message for politicians … stop, ultimately, taking the punishment out on the child. Take it out on the abuser and penalize the person who’s responsible for the crime, not the innocent third party,” Rose said. “We should be protecting life wherever we can at the federal level and everywhere else.”

Some Republicans also cheered as the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization returned the regulation of the gruesome procedure to state legislatures.

While Dobbs was a significant win for the pro-life movement, it still produces an untenable position wherein the borders of states determine whether or not murdering children is legal.

“It’s not a state issue,” Rose said. “It’s a human rights issue, and whether you’re in Georgia or California, you deserve a right to life and the Constitution secures that basic right under the 14th amendment. So of course it’s the federal government’s job to do something about the killing.”

Rose is optimistic about abortion as a political issue in the United States, telling Breitbart News that it will be a “winning issue” in the midterm election and contribute to the “red wave.”

While some in the Republican Party remain steadfast in their advocacy for life, others — particularly in the establishment — have cowered from the issue, viewing it as politically inconvenient.

Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.

Jacob Bliss contributed to this report. Follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.