Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is urging families not to give into the pressure to abort unborn babies because of the Zika virus scare.
In a new interview Saturday, the former Republican presidential candidate told Politico that he does not believe unborn babies should be aborted even if they have birth defects linked to the Zika virus.
“I understand a lot of people disagree with my view – but I believe that all human life is worthy of protection of our laws. And when you present it in the context of Zika or any prenatal condition, it’s a difficult question and a hard one,” Rubio told Politico. “But if I’m going to err, I’m going to err on the side of life.”
A growing international health scare, the mosquito-borne virus has been linked to birth defects in newborns, one being microcephaly, a brain disorder that is not typically fatal but can cause health problems throughout the child’s life. Abortion advocates have been using the link as an excuse to push for more abortions on babies with disabilities. Some pro-abortion groups even have been scaring women into aborting their unborn babies without knowing if they have Zika or if their unborn baby has a disability.
The risk of microcephaly from Zika appears to be higher if the unborn baby is in the first trimester. Currently, researchers estimate that between 1 percent and 15 percent of pregnant women with Zika in the first trimester will have babies with birth defects, according to the Associated Press.
Rubio continued: “Obviously, microcephaly is 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 prolife. And I’m strongly prolife. I believe all human life should be protected by our law, irrespective of the circumstances or condition of that life.”
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Rubio has been advocating for a funding bill to help combat the spread of the virus in the U.S. However, Democrats killed the aid bill earlier this summer because it did not fund a couple of Planned Parenthood facilities in Puerto Rico.
“The Planned Parenthood angle is something they basically made up to have a political reason not to pass Zika so they can come back in August and campaign on it,“ he said. “That’s what I mean by political volleyball. Both sides have played that game. I would have preferred the House just passed a clean funding bill and I’ll vote for that if it comes out.”
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control reported knowing of at least 479 pregnant women who have been infected with Zika in the U.S. Six of those women have lost their unborn babies to miscarriage or abortion, while 15 have given birth to babies with birth defects, the CDC reports. Experts predict that southern states in the U.S. will see more cases this summer.
Families who have experiences with microcephaly also are speaking up against the eugenic push to abort unborn babies with birth defects. One is a young Brazilian journalist who was born with microcephaly. The fact that abortion activists are targeting people with disabilities like microcephaly for abortion also is concerning to many disability rights advocates, even some who identify as pro-choice.
