Marco Rubio doesn't believe Zika-infected pregnant women should be able to have abortions
In an interview with Politico, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) said he does not think pregnant women with the Zika virus should have the right to an abortion.
The Zika virus is linked to severe birth defects in babies born to infected mothers, including microcephaly. "I understand a lot of people disagree with my view — but I believe that all human life is worthy of protection of our laws," Rubio said Saturday. "And when you present it in the context of Zika or any prenatal condition, it's a difficult question and a hard one. But if I'm going to err, I'm going to err on the side of life." He added that his stance remains the same even if a pregnant woman believes her child will be born with severe microcephaly.
Rubio called microcephaly a "terrible prenatal condition that kids are born with, and when they are, it's a lifetime of difficulties. So I get it. I'm not pretending to you that that's an easy question you asked me. But I'm pro-life." There are 422 known cases of Zika in Florida, and Rubio said he has voted for every possible Zika bill.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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