What you Need to Know About Marco Rubio Before Tonight’s Debate

For Immediate Release: Oct. 18, 2016

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Tonight, Marco Rubio squares off against women’s health champion and senate candidate Patrick Murphy to try to explain his anti-women’s record to Florida voters.  Marco Rubio reiterated his support of Donald Trump, following the the release of video of Trump making lewd comments and sexual assault allegations against him. Donald Trump has called Mexicans “rapists”, has said women should be punished for accessing abortion, and bragged about sexually assaulting women. None of this has phased the Florida Senate candidate and failed presidential candidate, who continues to support Donald Trump for President.

• Marco Rubio opposes safe and legal abortion: Rubio said he is adamantly against abortion, and “even if 100 percent of my constituents were for it,” he would still be against it. [Republican Majority Campaign,9/6/09]

• Has said that he “personally” doesn’t believe in exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the woman: On Fox News’ ‘Hannity,’ host Sean Hannity asked Rubio about his position on abortion exceptions, Rubio’s response was, ““If I’m president and the only bill that can pass is one that has exceptions, that means we’re still going to save millions of lives. But I personally believe, that life begins at conception and all human life is worthy of protection.” [FOX News,4/13/15]

• Doesn’t support exceptions for rape or incest: “Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was quick to clarify Thursday night that he did not support rape and incest exemptions in abortion bans after GOP debate host Megyn Kelly asked about his stance on the issue. He laid out his explicit opposition, noting that "future generations will look back and call us barbarians for murdering millions of babies." [International Business Times,8/6/15]

• Rubio will support legislation with exceptions for rape and incest, because “I’ll support any legislation that reduces the number of abortions”: On MSNBC’s Meet the Press, he told host Chuck Todd, “I'll support any legislation that reduces the number of abortions. So, that means a 20-week abortion ban. At five months, you will recognize a child as a human being in an ultrasound image. And I'll support that. That doesn't obviously cover the whole gamut. But it reduces the number of abortions. I'll support any legislation that reduces the number of abortions. And there are those that have that exception. What I've never done is said I require that it must have or not have exceptions.”[Meet the Press,8/9/15] 

• Marco Rubio wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision: Rubio has called Roe v. Wade “devastating” [SBA List Speech, 2/1/12, accessed via YouTube,posted 2/3/12] 

• Voted against the “Protect Women’s Health From Corporate Interference Act.” Senator Patty Murray of Washington and Senator Mark Udall of Colorado introduced S. 2578, called the “Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act,” which was a legislative fix to the June 2014 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby.

• Supported the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision; won’t stand up for a woman’s access to no co-pay birth control: Rubio supported the Hobby Lobby decision that would give employers a permission slip to deny their employees access to birth control coverage, returning women to the days of paying up to $600 a year for birth control. Rubio didn’t just praise the decision, in his statement he also called for the Affordable Care Act “to be entirely repealed and replaced.” Rubio would not only let businesses deny their female employees birth control coverage based on their religious beliefs, he would also also deny millions of women the preventive healthcare services that are now covered by the Affordable Care Act.  [Tampa Bay Times, 6/30/14]

• Rubio voted for the Blunt Amendment and was co-sponsor of the bill: Senator Rubio is listed as a co-sponsor for the Blunt Amendment to allow employers to opt-out of contraception coverage. [Roll Call 24, S.Amdt. 1520 to S.Amdt. 1730 to S. 1813, 3/1/12]

• Rubio Introduced A Bill That Would Allow Any Employer To Refuse Birth Control Coverage By Claiming A Religious Objection: Senator Marco Rubio introduced a bill that would allow any employer to refuse to cover birth control by claiming to have a religious objection, [Editorial, New York Times, 2/11/12; Religious Freedom Restoration Act, S. 2043, 1/30/12] 

• Marco Rubio has voted FIVE times to defund Planned Parenthood. [Roll Call Vote 60, H. Con. Res. 36, 4/14/11; Roll Call Vote 36, H.R. 1, 3/9/11; Roll Call Vote 262, S. 1881, 8/3/15; S. Amdt 2669 to H.J. Res. 61, Roll Call Vote 270, 9/24/15; H.R. 3762, Roll Call Vote 329, 12/3/15] 

• Wouldn’t say if he supported a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood funding, but if it did, blame would be on “the Democrats”: “Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., indicated that a government shutdown battle over Planned Parenthood is likely next month — but he did not commit a full crusade on it….When asked about a possible shutdown in an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News, Rubio flipped it back on the Democrats: ‘It’s not us who’s going to shut down the government. It’s the Democrats. In essence, the choice is theirs to make. Are they saying that they’re willing to shut down the government over funding Planned Parenthood?’” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/7/15]