Ben Carson Compares Abortion To Slavery, Wants Roe vs. Wade Overturned
For Immediate Release: Nov. 25, 2015
Ben Carson Compares Abortion To Slavery, Wants Roe vs. Wade Overturned
Washington, DC -- Ben Carson today compared abortion to slavery and said that he ultimately wants to see Roe vs. Wade overturned, despite the fact that the majority of Americans believe abortion should be safe and legal. He also said that women need to stop viewing their babies as their enemy (full transcript below).
In an interview with Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Carson laid out his extreme anti-abortion positions which include banning safe and legal abortion, restricting women from making their own health care decisions, and not allowing any exceptions for rape and incest -- he would not say whether he would support an exception for the life and health of the mother.
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Nearly 80 percent of the American public wants to ensure that abortion remains safe and legal; and three in 10 women have had a safe, legal abortion at some point in their lifetimes.
Eric Ferrero, Vice President of Communications for Planned Parenthood Action Fund:
“Ben Carson's comments this morning aren't just totally insensitive and inaccurate -- they're surreal. These remarks show a total lack of understanding and compassion for women's health. Ben Carson is far outside the mainstream of most Americans when it comes to women's health and rights. What may be even more alarming is that he's not alone in this Republican primary field, given that other candidates including Marco Rubio have also said they would ban abortion even in cases of rape or incest.”
Transcript
Todd: Does life begin at conception?
Carson: I believe it does.
Todd: Does that mean -- who's right should be superseded? The mother or the unborn child? Who has greater rights?
Carson: In the ideal situation the mother should not believe that the baby is her enemy. And should not be looking to terminate the baby. You know, things are set up in such a way that the person in the world who's the greatest interest in protecting the baby is the mother.We've allowed the purveyors of the vision to make mothers think that that baby is their enemy and that they have a right to kill it. Can you see how perverted that line of thinking is?
Todd: What if somebody has an unwanted pregnancy? Should they have the right to terminate it?
Carson: No. think about this. During slavery -- and i know that's one of those words you're not supposed to say, but i'm saying it -- during slavery a lot of the slave owners thought they had the right to do whatever they wanted to that slave. anything that they chose to do? and what if the abolitionists had said "you know, I don't believe in slavery, i think it's wrong but you guys do whatever you want to do"? where would we be?
Todd: Definitively, Do you want to see roe v. wade wade overturned?
Carson: Ultimately, i would love to see it overturned.
Todd: Life and health of the mother?
Carson: Again, that's an extraordinarily rare situation. but if in that very rare situation it occurred, I believe there's room to discuss that.
Todd: Rape and incest?
Carson: Rape and incest? I would not be in favor of killing a baby because the baby came about in that way. And all you have to do is go and look up the many stories of people who have led very useful lives who were the result of rape and incest.