Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told supporters Thursday he would take extreme measures to stop abortions in the United States, including defying the Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, and potentially deploying federal forces and the FBI.
Speaking at two public venues in Iowa, Huckabee, a Republican presidential candidate, responded to several question on his plans to prevent abortions from taking place if elected.
Among possible steps, Huckabee vowed to “invoke the Fifth and 14th amendments for the protection of every human being,” and later declared that “all American citizens should be protected.”
When a reporter asked if he might involve federal troops or the FBI in his effort to curb abortions, Huckabee responded, “We’ll see, if I get to be president.”
Huckabee went on to justify his intention to ignore Roe v. Wade — the landmark ruling establishing abortion rights — by citing Abraham Lincoln’s defiance of the Dred Scott decision, which denied African-Americans the right to citizenship, in the Emancipation Proclamation.