Republican Virginia Delegate: Disabled Children are God's Punishment for Abortions

[guywithashovel]

http://www.kpax.com/news/va-lawmaker...-for-abortion/

The GOP just keeps 'em coming these days, doesn't it?

[Nekojin]

I'd like to see him say that to Sarah Palin's face.

[Seifer]

Why does he even bother trying to backtrack and say that he wasn't calling handicapped children horrible mistakes?

[Rapscallion]

There are two main things that trouble me here. Neither of them are that the comments were made in the first place as this is rapidly becoming the norm for the Republicans.

Firstly, I'm agog that Republican top strategists haven't told everyone to put a lid on the religiously inspired extremist mouthings such as these. Insanity and idiocy are not guaranteed to be mutual phenomena.

Second, the really sad thing is that bollocks like this works.

Rapscallion

[Dreamstalker]

I was my mom's first (and only) child, and technically I was disabled. I'd like to see him say/explain that to her face.

[Greenday]

Interesting how I can't find any such statements made about this. I found one about a Republican Virginia Delegate saying it's nature's fault but nothing about God doing it.

[Andara Bledin]

It's worth noting that the original link goes to a non-existent article, and that the first comment on that page notes that the comment was from 2.5 years ago and also mis-quoted.

>_<

You'd think, with the rich fodder being regularly provided in that sector, that people wouldn't have to make shit up or embellish.

[eta]
An article with video of the man's comments at RightWingWatch.com

So, it seems the guy really means that increases in problem births are because of abortions, and that it's a natural effect, but also everything natural was created by God, so it falls back to him. Why he even brought God into the discussion is mystifying, really.

^-.-^

[Greenday]

The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children. In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There's a special punishment Christians would suggest."

So he states that it's nature doing it, not God. And he also states that in the Old Testament, a couple's first born was dedicated to God.

Seems like a stretch to me to say that God is punishing people for abortions.

[HYHYBT]

Putting it that way around doesn't make it sensible.

[Andara Bledin]

Not a stretch, really. There's no reason to mention first born children at any point, nor is there any reason to mention God or the Old Testament. Unless you're trying to tie the two ideas together.

It's disingenuous, at best, to claim that he wasn't doing such a thing. He also has a history of giving "misimpressions." Either he is chronically incapable of saying what he means (and incapable of learning how to change that), or he really does mean what he says and he's just using that to weasel away from the implications.

^-.-^

[Greenday]

No, it's just taking two separate statements and combining them as one even if that wasn't the intent. He said why abortions can later cause birth defects and he also happened to say that he thinks it's wrong because it's a slap in the face to God.

[Duelist925]

No, it's just taking two separate statements and combining them as one even if that wasn't the intent. He said why abortions can later cause birth defects and he also happened to say that he thinks it's wrong because it's a slap in the face to God.

Thereby linking the two statements. They were said back to back, there is a clear connection between them (Both involving the first born, and a punishment, eitehr from nature or god)

There is no other interpretation for this, unless one is being purposefully dense or attempting to defend him.

[Rapscallion]

Interesting. I didn't read the article and took it as read that it's what he said. I'm ready to believe anything about the current Republican politicians, which is a bad, bad sign.

Rapscallion

[Greenday]

There is no other interpretation for this, unless one is being purposefully dense or attempting to defend him.

There is, unless you are just looking for any excuse to bash people of a certain political affiliation.

[Andara Bledin]

While I freely admit that there are other possibilities (everything is possible, after all), it's disingenuous, at best, to propose that such is the case here.

If you take the time to actually listen to the video of the speech, it's obviously prepared (there is zero hesitation as with someone who was choosing their words then and there), and there is absolutely no pause between the statement that disabilities visited upon children after an abortion are nature's vengeance and the statement that the first born are special to God, and then that his statements are supported by science. It's practically one great run-on sentence.

These are all spoken as part of the same point, and not separate ideas that happen to be shared close together.

There's no looking necessary; this guy gives more than enough ammunition to his opponents and media pundits. And his affiliation isn't relevant; the very idea that the entire country should be governed based on the tenets of a single religious base, no matter how broad, should be abhorrent to every American.

^-.-^