Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain pressed a no compromise pro-life view on abortion during a weekend interview with Meet The Press, and told host David Gregory he would not support abortion, including in cases of rape or incest.
“What about abortion? You want to overturn Roe v. Wade. Could you support or condone abortion under any exceptions at all?” Gregory asked Cain.
“I believe in life from conception, and I do not agree with abortion under any circumstances,” Cain responded. “Not for rape and incest because if you look at, you look at rape and incest, the, the percentage of those instances is so miniscule that there are other options. If it’s the life of the mother, that family’s going to have to make that decision.”
Pressed on the life of the mother exception, Cain stuck to his answer, saying, “That family is going to have to make that decision.”
Cain also fielded a question about the kind of Supreme Court justice he would appoint and told the NBC host that he would look for someone in the model of conservative jurist Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court justice who has issued pro-life opinions on abortion and is considered one of four who appear to be ready to vote to overturn Roe v. Wade and pave the way for legal protection for unborn children.
“I would say that there are several that I have a lot of respect for,” Cain said. ” Justice Clarence Thomas is one of them. I believe that Justice Clarence Thomas, despite all of the attacks that he gets from the left, he basically rules and makes his decisions, in my opinion, based upon the Constitution and solid legal thinking. Justice Clarence Thomas is one of my models.”
Cain has repeatedly taken on the Planned Parenthood abortion business and said it targets minority Americans by placing abortion centers in urban areas with a high percentage of blacks and Hispanics. Despite his deeply-held pro-life views, he upset some pro-life advocates by not signing the Susan B. Anthony List pledge. However, Cain reaffirmed his pro-life views in a statement at the time.
“I support right-to-life issues unequivocally and I adamantly support the first three aspects of the Susan B. Anthony pledge involving appointing pro-life judges, choosing pro-life cabinet members, and ending taxpayer-funded abortions,” Cain said this summer. “However, the fourth requirement demands that I ‘advance’ the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. As president, I would sign it, but Congress must advance the legislation.”
“I have been a consistent and unwavering champion of pro life issues,” Cain added. “In no way does this singular instance of clarification denote an abandonment of the pro-life movement, but instead, is a testament to my respect for the balance of power and the role of the presidency.”
Signers of the pledge include Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum and the pro-life organization is calling on pro-life activists to put pressure on those candidates who have not signed, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, and Gary Johnson.
