WATCH: House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy says Alabama abortion law ‘goes further than I believe’

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says that a new abortion law being celebrated by pro-lifers around the country goes a little too far for his taste.

At a Thursday news conference, the minority leader was asked whether or not he thinks the new law in Alabama, which effectively bans all abortions, "goes too far."

McCarthy responded, "It goes further than I believe. Yes."

"First of all, I believe the most precious gift God gives us is life," McCarthy said. "And I defend my pro-life position for my whole political career, but in my whole political career, I also believed in [exemptions for] rape, incest, or life of the mother.

"That's exactly what Republicans have voted on in this House; that's what our platform says," McCarthy continued. "And I believe that's the point of what you find, many of us, of where we stand."

Alabama's new law makes it a felony for a doctor to perform or attempt an abortion unless it is to save the life of the mother, punishable by 99 years in prison. It doesn't contain exemptions, however, for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.

Here's video of McCarthy's response to the question, clipped from the full news conference available on his YouTube channel:

McCarthy isn't alone; his concerns about exemptions have also been echoed by voices in conservative media such as Erick Erickson at the Resurgent and the Bulwark's Jonathan V. Last since the law was signed into effect by Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. Televangelist Pat Robertson also voiced concerns about the law.

But while such exemptions may be more politically expedient, BlazeTV White House correspondent Jon Miller pointed out in a recent episode of the "White House Brief," exempting unborn children from pro-life protections because of the conditions of their conception is logically inconsistent with a philosophy that says all human beings have inherent worth from the moment of conception.

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