Ted Cruz's 2016 bid epitomizes the GOP's new abortion extremism

[TomCADem]

It is ironic that Ted Cruz, of all folks, is criticizing Trump's views on abortion, since Ted has repeatedly attack Trump as being secretly pro-choice. Indeed, even now, Trump has not ruled out exceptions for rape or incest. In contrast, Ted has been the most extreme candidate on abortion to date.

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/laura-chapin/2015/03/23/ted-cruz-ignites-2016-race-to-the-bottom-on-abortion-and-womens-health

DENVER – One thing is for sure on the Republican primary: With Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the mix, it’ll be a race to the bottom on women’s rights. But to a degree, Cruz’s campaign is a continuation of what Todd Akin started in 2012. (Akin was the Missouri Senate candidate who infamously remarked that victims of "legitimate rape" have ways to "shut that whole thing down" so they don't get pregnant.) What was once an outlier on women’s right to choose an abortion – that even victims of rape and incest don’t have the right to terminate a pregnancy resulting from it – has now become a cornerstone of the Republican platform. And Republicans are now conflating abortion and birth control in an attempt to prevent women from accessing both.

Cruz, like Akin, opposes abortion for victims of rape and incest. He also labels forms of contraception such as Plan B “abortifacients”, which isn’t scientifically or medically correct. At the Value Voters Summit last fall, Cruz repeatedly referred to contraception as “abortion-inducing drugs.”

Nor is Cruz different from the rest of the 2016 potential Republican presidential field. B-listers Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Bobby Jindal and Rick Perry all share similar opinions. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker recently lurched hard right to oppose reproductive rights as well.

And despite the media’s nonsensical description of him as a “libertarian,” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul shares the same extreme views. Paul is the Senate sponsor of a federal “personhood” bill, which would outlaw all abortions, even for rape and incest victims, and outlaw many forms of birth control. Paul can’t support government control over the bodies half the population and still be considered a “libertarian.” He’s not one. And he’s expected to announce he’s running for president on April 7.