Both vice presidential candidates declared that they were men of faith Tuesday night from the debate stage, and they used scripture to prove it — as well as argue their points.
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine (D) argued during the lone vice presidential debate at Longwood University in Virginia that he and Clinton "trust American women" to decide along with their doctors what to do when faced with a pregnancy.
In contrast, Kaine said GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump would punish women who elect to have an abortion. And when Kaine's debate opponent Gov. Mike Pence (Ind.) attempted to argue that point, Kaine turned to scripture.
"Great line from the Gospel of Matthew — 'from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks,'" Kaine said.
"When Donald Trump says women should be punished or Mexicans are rapists and criminals or John McCain's not a hero, he is showing you who he is," the Virginia senator added.
Trump said in March that women who have an abortion should face "some form of punishment." After much outcry over the statement, Trump clarified his position and declared that should abortion become illegal, women who do undergo the procedure are actually "victims" and doctors who perform the act should be the ones legally culpable.
The pair of running mates clashed over the issue of abortion Tuesday night, especially as it played into their faiths. Pence, too, used scripture to argue his anti-abortion stance.
"For me the sanctity of life proceeds out of the belief that ancient principle where God says, 'before you were formed in the womb, I knew you,'" Pence said, quoting a passage from the book of Jeremiah.
Pence continued to brag on his state of Indiana for being "well on its way to becoming the most pro-adoption state."
"I think if you're going to be pro-life, you should be pro-adoption," he said.
Kaine, a Catholic, argued that while he is personally anti-abortion, a woman should still have the right to choose.
"Why don't you trust women to make this choice for themselves?" Kaine asked at one point of Pence and his running mate.
"I think you should live your moral values, but the last thing, the very last thing, the government should do, is have laws that would punish women who make reproductive choices," Kaine argued. "And that is the fundamental difference between a Clinton-Kaine ticket and a Trump-Pence ticket that wants to punish women."
And Clinton and Kaine don't completely see eye-to-eye on the issue of abortion. While Kaine is in favor of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding of abortion in most cases, Clinton would like to repeal that rule.
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