Ben Carson unwittingly compares rape and incest victims seeking abortions to "slave owners"

He also insisted that the Jewish community stands behind his invocations of Nazis to describe everything

Published October 26, 2015 12:14PM (EDT)

Retired neurosurgeon -- and current GOP front-runner in Iowa -- Ben Carson spoke to Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press" Sunday morning and defended the ease with which he makes comparisons between the current administration and Nazi Germany, then discussed the ways in which women who have abortions, even in the case of rape or incest, are morally indistinguishable from slave-owners.

"Why do you so easily go to Nazi metaphors?" Todd asked. "You refer to, when you were talking about health care, you referred to a Gestapo." Todd noted that many listeners likely tune him out when he violates Godwin's law, but Carson disagreed.

"In the last several weeks," he said, "I've heard from many people in the Jewish community, including rabbis, who said, 'You're spot on. You are exactly right.' And I think some of the people in your business quite frankly who like to try to stir things up and try to make this into a big, horrible thing."

After blaming the media for blowing his controversial statements out of proportion, Carson couldn't help himself and offered another, claiming that women who have abortions -- even in the case of rape or incest -- are no different, morally speaking, than slave-owners.

"During slavery -- and I know that's one of those words you're not supposed to say, but I'm saying it -- during slavery, a lot of the slave owners thought that they had the right to do whatever they wanted to that slave," he said.

"Anything that they chose to do. And, you know, what if the abolitionist had said, you know, 'I don't believe in slavery. I think it's wrong. But you guys do whatever you want to do?' Where would we be?" Carson asked. Although he admitted there was "room to discuss" abortions in order to save the life of the mother, in the case of "rape or incest, I would not be for killing a baby because it came about in that way."

"All you have to do is go and look up the many stories of people who have led very useful lives who are the result of rape or incest," seemingly oblivious to the fact that the rape and incest exceptions are designed to improve the quality of life for the rape and incest victims.

Watch Todd's interview with Carson below NBC News.

Watch four of the scariest things Ben Carson has said on the campaign trail:

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