Kasich refuses to to say if doctors should be punished for performing abortions
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He says the states should decide, but still won’t take a position, even though he is a governor.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So but if — if you believe that abortion is taking of an innocent life, how would you enforce a ban on that activity?
KASICH: Well, that will be up to the states to figure out what they want to do. And, you know, obviously, when we have seen these comments that have come out earlier this week, it’s the first time I’ve seen the pro-life and the pro-choice people come together to say, you know, that we’ll have to basically work this out and trying to punish a woman would not be the appropriate way to behave.
And I think it’s going to take people, in a reasonable way, working through it.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But why isn’t it appropriate? If you believe that abortion is the taking of innocent life, why shouldn’t a woman who makes the choice to take that life face some kind of punishment or sanctions?
KASICH: Because I think it’s difficult on her to begin with, that’s the way I feel about it, George. And that’s the end of it.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Even if it follows that a woman is making the choice to take a life?
KASICH: Look, I’ve said what I have to say about the subject, George. You know how I have behaved both as a legislator and as a governor, and I would like to have those exceptions. I would like to leave it to those exceptions. And it’ll be up to the states to decide how they want to handle this.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you believe doctors who perform abortions should be punished?
KASICH: We’re going to leave this up to the states to work this out the way they want to, George.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you’re not going to take any position on doctors facing punishment?
KASICH: Right now — let me just put to you, this way I’m not. Today I’m not. I’ve just told you how I feel about it.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So, if you’re still governor of Ohio, what would you seek to do?
KASICH: Work with the legislature to figure out is a good consensus to do. In Ohio, we have made sure that we have transfer agreements. These are things that we have done. And I’ve been very careful about making sure that we don’t pass something that’s going to cause a constitutional conflict, which is I think what you were referring to so that the restrictions that we put in place are going to be fine. And I think we’ve behaved there and conducted ourselves appropriately.
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