Gov. Mike Huckabee on Sunday put his support behind the decision to deny an abortion to a 10-year-old girl in Paraguay who was raped by her step-father, saying the while what happened was a “terrible tragedy,” it is best not to “compound the tragedy by taking another life.”
The GOP presidential candidate, who has been firmly against abortion no matter the circumstance — including rape, incest or a woman’s life endangerment — touted his consistency in his defense and used a sort of “two wrongs don’t make a right” argument.
“I just come down on the side that life is precious, every life has worth and value,” Huckabee said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“I don’t know where else to go with it except to be consistent and say if life matters and if that’s a person then every life matters,” he added.
Related: 2016 GOP field walks fine line in abortion fight
The Paraguayan girl in question, who ultimately gave birth at age 11, was denied an abortion from government officials. Abortions are illegal in the country unless the woman’s life is in danger; in this case, doctors found that the pregnancy was not life-threatening.
Amnesty International, among other human rights groups, were up in arms over the decision, stating that prohibiting the girl from getting an abortion is “tantamount to torture.”
“The Paraguayan authorities cannot sit idly by while this young rape-survivor is forced to endure more agony and torment,” Americas Deputy Director at Amnesty International said back in April when the case came to light.
Huckabee on Sunday posed the question that while the raping is “horrible,” would an abortion “solve a problem by taking the life of an innocent child?”
“There are no easy answers here,” Huckabee said.
2016 candidates have been walking a fine line over abortion, as the social issue has taken center stage following the release of several videos showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing reimbursement for fetal remains used in medical research.
Along with Huckabee, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker both oppose abortions, no exceptions.
Rubio on “Meet the Press” recently said that he’ll “support any legislation that reduces the number of abortions.” Huckabee previously said he is even open to the idea of using federal troops and the FBI to stop women from having abortions.
Anna Brand