Media 10 November 2015 Jeb Bush says he would kill baby Hitler, landing the Republican stance on abortion in chaos Would the Republican candidates have let Hitler's mother teminate her pregnancy? Getty Sign UpGet the New Statesman\'s Morning Call email. Sign-up In the sort of fantastic turn of events that makes the American presidential race so much fun to follow, Jeb Bush – who, having derived a nickname from his initials “John Ellis Bush”, is the human equivalent of calling it an “ATM Machine” – has spoken out on the controversial “would you kill baby Hitler?” question by saying “Hell yeah, I would”. Considering historical infanticide, the 2016 presidential candidate told the Huffington Post: “You gotta step up, man”. Whew, that’s that mystery over. But wait, what’s this? "Would you kill baby Hitler?" is a softball for GOP candidates. Ask them "Would you have allowed his mother to terminate her pregnancy?" — David Smith (@dtsmith_sydney) November 9, 2015 Hmm. While governor of Florida, Bush supported a law requiring parents to be told about teenagers’ abortions, asked the courts to appoint a guardian to protect a foetus carried by a mentally disabled rape victim and famously tried to prevent a 13-year-old ward of the state from accessing an abortion. Is it hypocritical to suggest it’d be okay to kill a baby, but not okay to terminate a pregnancy in the case of rape? Jeb Bush has been contacted for comment. › Will Northern Ireland's constitutional question be decided by financial necessity? I'm a mole, innit.
