Marco Rubio debates abortion with Senate challenger: ‘All human life is worthy’ of protection

On Monday night, Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio faced off against Democratic Representative Patrick Murphy during a Florida Senate debate — and as is typical of a debate between an abortion advocate and a pro-lifer, abortion was mentioned as a topic. Rubio defended the right to life for preborn children, but also stated that abortion is a difficult issue:

Rubio has said before that he does not believe Zika should justify abortion or abortion funding. During the debate, Rubio mentioned what he believes is truly extreme in regards to abortion:

Rubio is not the only one who has questioned why the media does not question abortion advocates’ positions on abortion that are well outside the mainstream. In April 2015, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) asked why the (now former) Democratic National Chairwoman, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, was not asked more about her pro-abortion stance.

Although Rubio appeared to express apprehension that the majority of Americans may disagree with his pro-life position, Americans of all demographics and opinions tend to oppose elective abortion after the first trimester of pregnancy. As I reported earlier this year using information from a Marist poll, 81 percent of Americans believe abortion should be either completely illegal or restricted to the first trimester and in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. Even more surprising is that 66 percent of people claiming to be pro-choice believe in the same restrictions.

In his response during the debate, Murphy did not address his own abortion views, instead noting that Rubio “does not support a woman’s right to choose in the case of rape, in the case of incest, or a mother infected with Zika.” It should be noted that abortions following cases of rape and incest account for 1 percent (or less) of all abortions. There is also doubt about the connection between the Zika virus and microcephaly, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.