CNN "State of the Union" interviews during 2015: on Abortion

Mike Huckabee: Pro-life rhetoric not to blame in clinic shootout

HUCKABEE: We don't know fully what the facts are. But regardless of why he did it, what he did is absolutely abominable, especially to those of us in the pro-life movement, because none of us would condone something like this.There is no legitimizing. There is no rationalizing. It was mass murder. So, I think that's a little bit disingenuous on the part of Planned Parenthood to blame people who have a strong philosophical disagreement with the dismembering of human babies to say that we would like to retaliate by sending some madman into a clinic to kill people.

Mike Huckabee: Abortion should be illegal but not criminal

HUCKABEE: Well, there wouldn't be a criminal penalty against a woman. I have often said that there are two victims with every abortion. One is the unborn child who loses its life, and the other is often that woman who is talked into the abortion, pressured into it, maybe feels she has no other option. There's no reason to criminalize her. I personally think that that would be a useless and, frankly, a harsh and unnecessary kind of attack on a woman who needs love and support and assistance, not criminalization.

Chris Christie: Put defunding of Planned Parenthood on the president's desk

[plays clip] Q: would you support a shutdown?

A: I said that you shouldn't be throwing around threats--you should take action and that's what I have done as governor of New Jersey, to defund Planned Parenthood six years ago. You should put the defunding of Planned Parenthood on the president's desk. If he's going to veto it, let the American people see that he stands with the folds who believe that the systematic murder of children in the womb, in a way that preserves the body parts to be sold on the open market, is something that he stands for.

Scott Walker: We defunded Planned Parenthood in a blue state

Ben Carson: Was personally against abortion; but what others do matters

A: I made no bones about the fact that I used to be a Democrat. Over the course of time, my views have changed dramatically. In 1992, I personally was against abortion, but I was not for causing anybody else to do anything. I changed because I began to think about, if abolitionists a long time ago had said, "I don't believe in slavery, but anybody else can do it if they want to," where would we be today?

John Kasich: Reasonable exceptions, but respect other opinions

A: Right.

Q: Should there be exceptions?

A: Yes, I have always been for exceptions.

Q: Which ones?

A: For rape, incest, and life of the mother.

Q: Two of your competitors, Marco Rubio and Scott Walker, said they're for no exceptions. Does that make you more electable?

A: No matter what your position is on the issue, you have to have respect for people. And I do. And it's an issue that people have a right to have a different point of view.

Q: Do you think that they would be electable against a Democrat, if they support no exceptions?

A: Well, I think that it's an important issue, but I think there's many other issues that are really critical, early childhood, infant mortality, the environment, education. I think we focus too much on just one issue.

Q: But it's one that matters in a lot of people's lives.

A: To a lot of people on both sides.

Q: Why are exceptions part of your belief?

A: Because I think it's reasonable.

Mike Huckabee: Taking innocent life does not solve problem of rape

A: Does it solve a problem by taking the life of an innocent child? And that's really the issue. So when I think about one horror, I also think about the possibilities that exist. And I just don't want to think that somehow we discount human life. I realize there are some people that will be very different in their view of this than me, and I respect that.

Rand Paul: Fund community health centers instead of Planned Parenthood

A: I think most Americans don't want their tax dollars going to this. I think most people do want to defund this. We have 9,000 community health centers that do everything Planned Parenthood does, but they don't get into abortions. So it would be much less emotional for everyone if we just funded community health centers.

Q: Do you support continued funding for community health centers?

A: I do support a role for government in community health centers. The specific bill, including it in ObamaCare, obviously would make it such that I can't support that particular bill.

Q: Ted Cruz said he's prepared to shut down the government, if that's what it takes to defund Planned Parenthood. Do you support that?

A: I support any legislation that will defund Planned Parenthood. But I don't think you can start out with your objective to shut down the government.