Zika And Pregnancy: Marco Rubio Says Pregnant Women With Zika Should Not Be Allowed Abortion

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio does not believe that a pregnant woman infected with the Zika virus should be allowed to undergo an abortion. The Zika virus causes children of infected mothers to have microcephaly, a birth defect wherein the baby's heads are smaller than normal and their brain are not developed properly.

"I understand a lot of people disagree with my view - but I believe that all human life is worthy of protection of our laws. And when you present it in the context of Zika or any prenatal condition, it's a difficult question and a hard one," said Rubio in an interview with Politico. Rubio said in the interview that he wants to "err on the side of life."

Marco Rubio: No abortions for Zika-infected women https://t.co/VfcEGJQudM pic.twitter.com/Cm67knjBao

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 7, 2016

With 422 cases, Rubio's home state of Florida reportedly has the most cases of people infected with the Zika virus, according to Politico. The former presidential hopeful has made an effort to combat Zika by previously co-sponsoring a $1.9 billion Zika bill that will back the fight against Zika but this failed to have any fruit. The failure was said to be partly due to a conflict with Planned Parenthood.

A report from the Independent quoted Rubio as acknowledging that microcephaly from the Zika virus is a "terrible prenatal condition." While Rubio said the question of aborting of a baby of a Zika-infected pregnant woman was difficult but he is of a pro-life stance, saying that human lives must be protected in whatever circumstances those lives might be in.

The report said that there is now a square mile in Miami that is off-limits to pregnant women to protect their unborn babies from the Zika virus after 16 cases local transmission were recorded. The Daily Mail said the Zika outbreak in Florida is the latest blow to the state's tourism industry after the shooting in an Orlando nightclub and the death of a two-year-old boy at the jaws of an alligator in Walt Disney World.