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BEN CARSON - ON SOCIAL ISSUES
Carson has expressed support for same-sex civil unions, and following the Supreme Court’s ruling legalizing gay marriage in all 50 states, he conceded the fight was over by declaring the ruling the “law of the land.” (Newsmax)

Despite maintaining a strong pro-life record, in a 1992 interview, Dr. Carson said that while he does not perform abortions, he personally referred women seeking abortions to other doctors. In the same interview, he said that he “would never advocate it’s illegal for a person to get an abortion.” (Baltimore Sun)

Dr. Carson co-authored a medical research paper in 1992 where he outlined his support for the use of aborted baby organs for research purposes. Carson defended his past statements, saying, “To not use the tissue that is in a tissue bank, regardless of where it comes from, would be foolish. Why would anybody not do that?”

Numerous conservatives have expressed that by providing the demand that abortion providers will supply the market and that participating in this practice is being complicit. (Life Site News)

As revelations came to light about Dr. Carson referring the mothers of unborn children with potential birth defects to abortionists, his campaign defended the practice. A campaign spokesman said, “he [Carson] believes in quality medical care, No. 1, and secondly, he believes in people making their own decisions based on facts and information.” Pressed on whether Carson stands by his decision to do so, the same spokesman said yes. The statement is particularly troubling given that pro-abortion proponents use similar language regarding a decision between the patient and their doctor, but not mentioning the life of the child. (Politico)

Since news surfaced of a 1992 research paper co-authored by Dr. Carson that included the use of fetal tissue, Caron’s stance on abortion has come under immense scrutiny and his defense of his previous medical decisions has been troubling to many in the pro-life movement. When asked if Carson stands by his past decision to refer patients to abortion doctors, Carson’s Communications Director said “He believes in quality medical care, No. 1, and secondly, he believes in people making their own decisions based on facts and information.”Additionally, the spokesman went on to say that Carson believes that you can’t stop abortion by making it illegal. The spokesman told Politico, “he [Carson] has always believed that the battle over abortion had to be waged in the hearts and minds of Americans, that you cannot legislate morality. But he also believes we’re winning the debate.” (Politico)

In the 1990s, Carson was a board member of the Baltimore Charitable Foundation which gave $200,000 in grants to Planned Parenthood. When confronted with this fact, and asked if Carson knew about the grants a spokesman said, “it doesn’t really matter.” (Politico)

When asked if he would support abortion in the case of incest or rape, Dr. Carson said, “I would hope that they would very quickly avail themselves of the emergency room, and in the emergency room, they have the ability to administer RU-486 and other possibilities before you have a developing fetus.” RU-486 is an abortifacient that kills a fertilized egg by artificially denying it the ability to attach to the uterine wall. Using Dr. Carson’s own standard of life beginning at conception, this would then constitute murder. (Politico)

During the campaign Dr. Carson has struggled to define when he believes life begins. He told ABC News that life begins “when the heart starts beating” but later clarified that he meant conception. (Politico)

- See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/2016-presidential-candidates/candidates/ben-carson#article-11