Ben Carson: I’d look at appointing judges who have record of ‘honoring life’

Retired neurosurgeon and 2016 Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said Wednesday that if elected president, he would look closely at appointing judges who have pro-life records.

“As far as abortion is concerned, I would very much look at appointing judges who have a record of honoring life,” Mr. Carson said, speaking at a town hall-style event in South Carolina.

“I want us to be a culture of life and not a culture of death, and everything that we should do should point toward preserving the most precious thing that any of us have — and that’s our life,” he said.

A woman in the audience had said she is “appalled” at what’s going on with abortion in the country and asked Mr. Carson what he would do to “help eliminate that.”

“Well, I’m appalled by what’s going on with abortion as well,” Mr. Carson said. “[I] have fought very hard for the pro-life movement throughout my career.”

Most of the 2016 GOP presidential contenders have touted their pro-life bona fides on the campaign trail. Businessman Donald Trump, one of Mr. Carson’s main rivals, said at an event in New Hampshire Tuesday he would “defund” Planned Parenthood but that he would “look at” overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion rights nationwide.

“Defund that, and repeal Roe v. Wade?” a man asked Mr. Trump.

“Well, the answer is yes, defund,” Mr. Trump said in video captured by the Huffington Post. “The other, [you’d] need a lot of Supreme Court justices. But we’re gonna be looking at that also very, very carefully. But you need a lot of Supreme Court judges. But defund, yes, we’re going to be doing that, OK?”

Mr. Carson said during an October appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he’d “love” to see Roe v. Wade overturned.

“I would like to see it done in the right way, and I think that means when we appoint judges, we need to look at their record and see what is their record of interpretation of the Constitution,” he said. “How have they behaved, who have they associated with, rather than what they say in an interview.”