I must have missed this last night, but apparently Chris Christie said that in the case of rape, if a woman believes aborting the child she’s impregnated with is an “act of self defense,” then it should be allowed.
Watch below:
[wpvideo j625izgE w=755]
There were a lot of people who were shocked at his words:
The birth of a baby resulting from rape or incest "is an act of self-defense"…did Governor Christie just say that??? #GOPDebate
— Asma (@LibyanBentBladi) February 7, 2016
NOT an act of self defense to terminate a pregnancy that is a result of rape. The baby didn't rape you! #GOPDebate
— Elizabeth Shirley (@EAPShirley) February 7, 2016
Aborting a baby is an act of self defense for women who have been raped @ChrisChristie? Wow. #GOPDebate
— Shane Vander Hart (@shanevanderhart) February 7, 2016
The problem with this formulation is that if that is the principle by which we say abortion is ok, then what keeps any woman from calling ANY pregnancy an “act of self defense”? And what does that even mean? What makes the issue so difficult is that the child is innocent – how is killing it an “act of self defense”? I think Christie is way off on this point, on how he justifies his position, whether you agree or disagree with that position on its own.