During a House of Representatives hearing on “abortion access and the law” on Wednesday, United States Congressman Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina) attempted to coax witnesses to validate the false right-wing claim that infants are often killed after they are delivered.
It was a total disaster for the Republican lawmaker and the second time in as many days that the GOP has had its dubious arguments solidly refuted.
“Do you agree with infanticide?” Norman asked Georgia State Representative Renitta Shannon (D-84th District).
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“Well, I think you’re using inflammatory language to basically describe a situation that does not happen. We don’t have infanticide happening. Doctors would not do that, and neither would folks who have carried pregnancies,” Shannon shot back.
“Okay, would a healthy child – do you agree that if a healthy child is born that it’s that woman’s right to decide if it lives or dies?” Norman posited.
“What I think is based on your question you have a very low opinion of pregnant people,” Shannon replied.
Norman then tried to interrupt Shannon but she tore right through it.
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“Excuse me, do you want an answer or do you want to keep talking over witnesses? What I am telling you is that nobody would carry a pregnancy and then decide on a Monday because they are bored that they want to have an abortion,” she said. “That’s ridiculous. And it’s inflammatory. What you’re saying – you’re talking about families who are in tough situations where folks have been excited about carrying a pregnancy. Most of the abortions that happen later in pregnancy are really tragedies where it’s really a disappointment for everyone involved.”
Norman was completely unmoved and then redirected his initial question at National Women’s Law Center President Fatima Goss Graves, who was seated next to Shannon at the witness table.
“Would you agree – I take it with all those words – that you agree with, basically, murdering a child after they’re born. Yes or no?” he asked Graves.
She was not having it.
“I have to say, Congressman, how you just characterized the representative’s statement is extremely inflammatory and the type of thing that is dangerous,” Graves said.
Norman tried to cut Graves off, but she nevertheless persisted.
“You guys have been talking today about the threats against crisis pregnancy centers, which I assume are serious and are terrible,” she continued, “the threats on people who work on abortion access every single day, and part of it is because of this sort of inflammatory, outrageous language and it is not okay.”
Watch below or at this link.