“Washington, D.C. – Florida Senator Marco Rubio on Sunday defended his stance against abortion without exceptions for rape or when a mother’s life was in danger that he was asked about during a debate among Republican presidential candidates on Thursday. “I personally and deeply believe that all human life is worthy of the protection of our laws. I do. And I believe that irrespective of the conditions by which that life was conceived, or anything else, and for me to be consistent on that belief,” Rubio said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“During Thursday night’s debate, Rubio said he never advocated for any exceptions on abortion, including when conception occurs following rape or incest or when the mother’s life is in danger. However, Rubio supported such exceptions when he co-sponsored the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in 2013, which aimed to ban late-stage abortions. On Sunday, Rubio denied any inconsistency. He said that while he does not support such exceptions, he would not rule them out if the overall result is fewer abortions. “I recognize that in order to have consensus on laws that limit the number of abortions, a lot of people want to see those exceptions,” he said on NBC.
However, he also added that “it’s about time we be serious about the crucial issue of abortion policy.” He then went on to state that “the government needs to establish adoption centers across the country for the sole purpose of accepting babies that are conceived as a consequence of incest or rape incidents.”
This is the first time Rubio has mentioned anything more about the issue of anti-abortion, other than what he’s been saying for years. “We need to recognize that adoption is a far better choice than abortion. It might even represent a compromise between people who are pro-choice and those who agree with me. In fact, I think that such adoption centers would be crucial for the well-being of both rape and incest victims, in addition to those couples (mothers) who, for any other reasons, might not wish to keep their babies.”
Although he offered no further information or ideas on how such an ambitious endeavor would be funded, Rubio did state that he would “support such a motion in a heartbeat if it were put before Congress.”
“I wouldn’t blink before voting ‘Yes’ on it,” he said. “In fact, I might sound a bit pompous by saying this, but, should I win in 2016, establishing these adoption centers will probably be the first order of business for me. That is, unless they’re built before 2016, which I’m thinking is very likely to happen. When it’s all said and done, there really are no arguments against it. They babies will be safe, their parents will (unfortunately) have nothing to do with them, and the babies’ parents will definitely use the money. Never before has there been such a win-win situation.”
