CitizenLink caught Marco Rubio on a campaign stop in New Hampshire last week. He was delayed getting to it by the big snow storm, but took a few minutes to chat with CitizenLink President and CEO Paul Weber. Here’s what Rubio had to say about the role his faith would play in his presidency.
“I’m proud to say it’s always been a part of my life. It’s a testament to my parents, particularly, my mother,” he said. “I grew up in a home where faith was prominent and an important part of our life. That said, I think the presidency is important. You make some very difficult decisions about what’s right and wrong for the country and I hope that I’m guided by my faith.”
On the issue of life, Rubio said he would support a 20-week abortion ban.
“There’s a strong consensus in America that there are certain kinds of abortions that should be illegal,” he said. “You know, abortion after 20 weeks, partial birth abortions, which is a gruesome procedure which has been outlawed in federal law. I would remind everyone that Hillary Clinton was one of the people who voted not to outlaw that and she holds an extreme view on this issue. It’s an outrageous position, a radical position outside the mainstream of American thought.”
Weber asked Rubio how he would handle threats to the religious freedoms of Americans.
“I would appoint a United States Attorney General who would work with me, not just to defend the Constitution, but to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans. That includes the right to religious liberty. We would appoint justices and judges, not just to the Supreme Court, but at every level who understand that the Constitution is not a living and breathing document, it is a document of limitation on the federal government and it is supposed to be applied and interpreted as originally written, not the way a judge in the modern era decides to creatively interpret it.”
Rubio said he would specifically fight for the religious freedom of those who don’t want to participate in same-sex marriages because of their deeply held religious beliefs.
“No individual should ever be forced to violate their conscience by law,” he explained. “When someone comes into a bakery, if they want to buy a cake, no one is saying, ‘Discriminate against them.’ But when they’re asking you to be a participant in a marriage ceremony that you consider to be in violation of your conscience, and you’re being penalized by law if you refuse to do it, that’s wrong. It’s unconstitutional, and my attorney general and my justice department will defend the right of every American to never personally be compelled to violate their conscience.”
Weber even had time to talk immigration with the candidate.
“Clearly, there are people running against me who want to create the perception that somehow I’m in favor of amnesty and open borders,” he said. “I am not. I do believe we have to responsibly solve our immigration issues. If you have violated our immigration laws, there isn’t going to be amnesty. If you’re a criminal, if you’re a danger to our country, you’re going to have to leave. That’s just what sovereign countries do.”
