Ben Carson, who is often considered a potential Donald Trump running mate, has published a new book in which he calls for a federal abortion ban — a notable departure from the former president.
“What is needed is legislation that guarantees the right to life for all American citizens, including those still in the womb,” writes Carson—a noted pediatric neurosurgeon who served as secretary of housing and urban development in the Trump administration—in “ The Perilous Fight,” which was released on Tuesday. “Therefore, we must be bold in saving our fellow human beings through the legislative process. They count on us!”
Trump’s current position is not in favor of a national ban on abortion, the issue that continues to dog Republicans in recent elections.
In April, he released a video saying he believed abortion policy should be left to the states.
“My view is that now that we have abortion where everyone wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine it by vote or legislation, or perhaps both, and whatever they decide should be the law of the land,” Trump said.
The video did little to resolve the issue for Trump — whose Supreme Court nominations sealed the deal on overturning Roe v. Wade. Wade — or for other Republican candidates, who have since had to weigh in on states’ extreme abortion bans.
Carson’s book calls for a return to conservative values, such as men “taking responsibility for leadership” in families and ways to combat the “decline of the American family.”
He talks about the Israel-Hamas war, writing that Israel was taken by surprise on October 7 due to “the coordination of these attacks at a single moment and in a specific order.”
“A similar attack is taking place against America, specifically against American families,” Carson writes, adding that the country’s enemies are engaged in a “prolonged, coordinated, multifaceted attack with the specific aim of devastating our families.”
Carson has long been conservative on the issue of abortion. When he ran for president in 2015, he compared women who terminate pregnancies to “slave owners” on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
“During slavery – and I know this is one of those words you’re not supposed to say, but I’m saying it – during slavery, many slave owners thought they had the right to do whatever they wanted with that slave. , whatever they chose to do. What if the abolitionists had said, ‘You know, I don’t believe in slavery. I think it’s wrong, but you do whatever you want’? Where would we be?
Carson also said he was open to considering allowing women to terminate pregnancies to save their lives, but that he did not believe in exceptions for rape and incest.
“Rape and incest – I would not be in favor of killing a baby because the baby came out that way,” he said.
In her new book, in addition to calls for a ban on abortion, Carson also calls for cuts in federal assistance to single mothers.
“Many of the welfare programs implemented by our government have locked beneficiaries in a cage of dependency from which they cannot escape,” writes Carson. “We are encouraging people to raise their children outside of traditional families, which means we are pressuring parents to make decisions that we know will be harmful to their children. These systems must stop. Not immediately, of course. There would need to be a three-year agreement”. five-year waiting period for people to make alternative plans.”
Trump’s campaign is still in the early stages of the running mate selection process, according to sources who spoke to NBC News, as he and his top aides remain focused on his four-year criminal trial in New York City. days a week. .
But abortion has been an issue Trump is considering when it comes to choosing a running mate, sources close to him told NBC News in March, and the Democratic group EMILY’s List has already made clear it plans to go after whoever it is. your choice. an “extremist” on the issue.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
