Rubio: Abortion is about rights of unborn

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A leading Republican conservative said opposing abortion is about protecting the rights of the unborn rather than taking away the rights of women.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said on CBS' "Face the Nation" the GOP was "the home of the pro-life movement in American politics" but rejected the idea its goal was to strip women of their rights.

"This is not an issue about denying anyone rights," said Rubio. "This is an issue about protecting the rights of a human being to live -- irrespective of what stage in development they may be."

The Republicans last week added a plank to their campaign calling for a constitutional amendment banning abortion, with no mention of any exceptions, CBS News said.

Rubio said he did not think the volatile abortion issue would muddy Mitt Romney's efforts to unseat President Obama over his economic record. "I think we're capable of discussing the issue of life in an intellectually honest way that's true to our principles and at the same time make it very clear to the American people that we understand what it takes to grow the economy," he said.