Ben Carson: Abortion Like 'Slavery;' Wrong in Cases of Rape and Incest
GOP Presidential candidate Ben Carson compared abortion to slavery, and has said that it should be illegal in cases of rape and incest.
"I know that's one of those words you're not supposed to say, but I'm saying it," Carson said in an interview with NBC News.
"During slavery, a lot of slave-owners thought they had the right to do whatever they wanted to that slave, anything that they chose. And what if the abolitionists had said, 'I don't believe in slavery, but you guys do whatever you want'? Where would we be?"
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He added that he has not yet heard a "reasonable explanation for why they would like to kill a baby," and said that women should not look at their fetus as "the enemy."
The retired neurosurgeon said that he opposes abortion in cases of rape and incest, but said that he might be open to the practice in situations where the mother's life is in danger.
"That's an extraordinarily rare situation," Carson said. "But if in that very rare situation it occurred, I believe there's room to discuss that."
As for anticipated criticism for his stance on abortion, Carson said:
"As people get to know me, they know that I'm not a hateful, pathological person like some people try to make me out to be. And that will be self-evident. So I don't really worry about that."
The retired neurosurgeon has made similar statements in the past, declaring a strong pro-life stance and opposition to abortion even in cases of rape and incest.
"I believe that once conception has been achieved, that it is a human life," Carson said in another interview back in August.
"What I have said is that, you know, I have spent my life trying to save life, not trying to destroy it," he added.
GOP presidential rival Donald Trump is also a pro-life supporter, and said back in 2011 that he changed his view after years of backing the pro-choice side.
"One thing about me, I'm a very honorable guy. I'm pro-life, but I changed my view a number of years ago," Trump said.
Mitt Romney, the last GOP Presidential nominee in 2012, also took a pro-life view, but unlike Carson said that it should be allowed in cases of rape and incest.
A May 2015 Gallup poll found that Americans remain largely divided on the issue of abortion, with 50 percent identifying as "pro-choice," and 44 percent identifying as "pro-life."
A breakdown of the survey found that 36 percent of U.S. adults believe abortion should only be legal in a few circumstances, but only 19 percent said it should be illegal in all circumstances.
Opinions were largely divided among party lines, with 68 percent of Democrats identifying a "pro-choice," compared to only 31 percent of Republicans.
