Ben Carson compares abortion to slavery, wants complete ban

US Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson yet again courted controversy by comparing abortions to slavery and saying that it should be totally banned. According to him mothers should not have the right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy just as slave owners did not have the right to do whatever they wanted to with their slaves.

"I'm a reasonable person, and if people can come up with a reasonable explanation of why they would like to kill a baby, I'll listen," said Carson to NBC in an interview on Sunday (25 October). He even went on to say that rape and incest are no reasons to terminate a pregnancy and women should take inspiration from kids who have been brought up despite being products of these crimes.

Carson said he wants to see the Supreme Court's Roe v Wade decision, which legalised abortion, overturned, with little room for exceptions. He was of the opinion that abortion to save a woman's life in an 'extraordinarily rare situation' was probably alright but there should be no abortion where there was room to discuss terminating pregnancy.

A former neuro-surgeon, Carson has lent support to a bill that plans to ban abortions at 20 weeks. Back in August, Carson had said in an interview to CBS, "I spent my entire career as a pediatric neurosurgeon, frequently staying up all night, fighting, struggling to save the life of little babies, even operating on babies inside the womb. So I don't think it should be hard for anyone to understand that I am totally opposed to killing babies."

Carson has been known for his controversial comments just like his Republican rival Donald Trump. In the past, he has said he would not advocate for a Muslim president in the US. While Trump's lead in the Republican camp has been stable during the past month, recent polls have indicated that Carson is steadily catching up. The two are the only candidates with support above 20% among the Republicans.