WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Abortion rights have been a key issue in the midterm elections.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings has been attacking Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's position on abortion rights throughout the campaign.
Demings is now running a commercial that says Rubio supports a bill that would allow states to ban abortions. But is that accurate?
In September, Rubio co-sponsored a bill to restrict abortions nationwide.
But when it comes to the accuracy of the ad, what is at issue is whether that restriction is the same as a ban on abortions.
The commercial brings up a story that happened this summer of a 10-year-old girl in Ohio who became pregnant after she was raped.
The advertisement said that "Marco Rubio would ban all abortions, even for her."
The commercial also cites WPTV on Sept. 15 saying Rubio co-sponsored a nationwide abortion ban.
We traced that to an article on WPTV.com that says the ban would be on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The story goes on to say the national measure has exemptions for rape and incest when "necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman but not for psychological or emotional conditions."
During the recent debate with Democratic challenger Val Demings at Palm Beach State College, Rubio accused Demings of misleading voters on the issue of abortion exceptions for rape and incest.
"I'm 100% pro-life. That said, every bill I've ever sponsored on abortion, every bill I've ever voted for has exceptions," Rubio said during the debate. "Every one of them does because that's what can pass, and that's what a majority of the people support."
Contact 5 found that PolitiFact — a Poynter Institute fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials — quoted Rubio from his 2016 Senate run when he was asked about an abortion ban.
"I don't require there to be an exception for rape or incest," Rubio said during a stop in Iowa in 2015.
A 2015 Los Angeles Times article on the then-presidential candidate described Rubio as having no rape or incest bans with the following phrase:
"I personally believe that you do not correct one tragedy with a second tragedy," the article quotes Rubio.
Demings' campaign communications director denied WPTV's request for an interview but released the following statement.
"Marco Rubio is a radical who has worked relentlessly to criminalize doctors, punish women, and ban abortion with no exceptions for victims of rape and incest."
Rubio's campaign also denied WPTV's request for an interview and did not send us a statement, but sent us links to his campaign website that calls him a defender of the dignity of the unborn and lists what he calls pro-life accomplishments.
WPTV watched an interview this summer with Rubio regarding abortions. He said he personally opposes abortion under any circumstances but recognizes that is not a majority opinion and will vote for restrictive abortion laws that allow exceptions for rape and incest because he feels that is a step toward saving lives.
