Republican presidential candidate John Kasich insisted Sunday that his belief that abortion should have exceptions is “reasonable,” saying that most Republicans allow themselves to be “put in a box.”
“I’ve always been for exceptions,” Mr. Kasich, the governor of Ohio, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
He said abortion should be allowed in cases of rape, incest, or if the mother’s life is in danger.
Pro-choice advocates have been calling for a change in Republican views on abortion, noting the recent case of an 11-year old girl in Paraguay who became pregnant after being raped by her stepfather. The South American country strictly prohibits abortion, and the girl had to carry the child to term.
Mr. Kasich said that in such cases, it would not be fair to prevent people from having an abortion.
“No matter your views on the issue, you need to have respect for people,” he told CNN’s Dana Bash.
His views stand in stark contrast to those of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who said earlier on the show that despite how difficult the Paraguay situation was, he would not have advocated abortion.
“No, it isn’t easy, and I wouldn’t even pretend that it’s anything other than a terrible tragedy. But let’s not compound the tragedy by taking yet another life,” said Mr. Huckabee, who also is running for the Republican presidential nomination.
He said there are two victims in an abortion — the child and the birth mother, who he said would go through “extraordinary guilt” later when she realizes the gravity of what she has done.
“I don’t want to get into a shouting match with people who think I’m wrong,” he said. “Every life has worth, and I don’t think we should discount the intrinsic worth of every human being. Every life matters.”
• Anjali Shastry can be reached at ashastry@washingtontimes.com.
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