GOP candidate Mike Huckabee has spoken out in support of Paraguay’s decision to deny an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim in an interview on Sunday.
The former governor of Arkansas argued that the denial of an abortion for the 11-year-old who was raped by her stepfather prevented a second tragedy from occurring. The girl gave birth last week.
According to the Huffington Post:
“Let nobody be misled, a 10-year-old girl being raped is horrible, but does it solve a problem by taking the life of an innocent child?” he asked. He added later, “When I think about one horror, I also think about the possibilities that exist and I just don’t want to think that somehow we discounted a human life … Let’s not compound the tragedy by taking yet another life.”
Paraguayan law prohibits abortion except for in very rare cases, when it’s deemed necessary for the mother’s health.
Huckabee has a firm stance against abortion, suggesting last month that he might consider using federal troops to stop women. The candidate also identifies with the small group of conservative legal scholars who interpret the Constitution as giving the President the power to outlaw abortion, despite the Supreme Court’s multiple rulings on the issue.
Mike Huckabee appeals to the conservative religious demographic, having spoken out against abortion, gay marriage, and transgender rights.
He is in the bottom 7 of the 17 Republican candidates.