Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., widely believed to be seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2016, cautiously tiptoed over a very fine line in a speech in South Carolina, endorsing the Plan B morning-after pill, which some conservatives consider a form of abortion.
Speaking at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, Paul, a strong right-to-life proponent, got hit with the question, "If life starts at conception, should medicine that prevents conception like Plan B be legal?"
"I am not opposed to birth control," he answered,
CNN reported. "That's basically what Plan B is. Plan B is taking two birth control pills in the morning and two in the evening and I am not opposed to that."
However, CNN notes, Paul carefully avoids endorsing drugs like
RU-486 or Mifeprex, which can induce abortion for up to seven weeks after fertilization.
Paul added, "Plan B is taking birth control. I am not against birth control and I don't know many Republicans who would be indicating that they are against birth control," CNN reported.
WebMD, while stating that Plan B does not cause an abortion, adds, "It is also possible that this type of emergency birth control prevents implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus by altering its lining."
Paul sponsored the Life at Conception Act last year which, if passed, would grant legal "personhood" rights to fetuses at conception, which could occur before a woman took Plan B birth control pills.
On Paul's website, he states, "I am 100% pro-life. I believe life begins at conception and that abortion takes the life of an innocent human being."
In a fundraising letter sent out by the
National Pro-Life Alliance, Paul wrote, "Tragically, over 4,000 babies are aborted every day in our nation. That's over 1.6 million every year!
"But by passing a Life at Conception Act you and I can end abortion in America!"
State Column headlined its story on Paul's statement, "Rand Paul Makes Abortion Concessions" and noted, "By framing his answer in terms of the morning after pill, and ignoring Mifeprex, a pill used as an alternative to surgical abortions, Sen. Paul can continue to campaign against abortions while pointing to progressive Conservative thinking."
It is not an entirely new position for Paul. He made virtually the same statement in Iowa in August, and was blasted by Democrats for it.
Rebecca Chalif, deputy press secretary for the Democratic National Committee, said at the time, "Rand Paul has repeatedly tried to restrict women’s access to healthcare and sponsored legislation that could ban some of the most commonly used forms of birth control.
"Rand Paul’s comments this morning are not only disingenuous, they are patently false. Female voters in Iowa and across the country know where he stands — and it’s not on the side of women,"
The Hill reported.
RealClearPolitics'
latest roundup of polls shows Paul in third place in the race for the Republican nomination with 10.3 percent, lagging behind New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, at 11.5 percent, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, at 10.8 percent.
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