Republicans in Missouri voted against amending the state’s abortion law to allow exceptions in cases of rape and incest, with one GOP lawmaker comparing abortion to slavery and arguing that a woman forced to carry her rapist’s baby may be one of the “greatest healing agents.”
Abortion is banned in Missouri except in cases of a medical emergency. On Wednesday, Democratic state Sen. Tracy McCreery urged Republicans to “show an ounce of compassion” for victims of rape and incest.
“What we’re saying is, ‘We don’t care,’” McCreery said according to the Associated Press. “We’re going to force you to give birth, even if that pregnancy resulted from forcible rape by a family member, a date, an ex-husband or a stranger.”
She introduced an amendment to allow for exceptions in cases of rape and incest but it was voted down along party lines in the Republican controlled Senate.
One GOP lawmaker, Sen. Rick Brattin explained that he voted against the amendment because abortion is just as bad as slavery and forcing a woman to carry her rapist’s baby to term could be “healing”.
“Just like the 13th and the 14th Amendment — we’re celebrating Black history because of the atrocity that was done upon African Americans in this nation with slavery,” Brattin said. “There was never an exception to what is a good form of slavery and what isn’t … It’s the same situation with this.”
“If you want to go after the rapist, let’s give him the death penalty. Absolutely, let’s do it,” Brattin continued. “But not the innocent person caught in between that, by God’s grace, may even be the greatest healing agent you need in which to recover from such an atrocity.”
Another GOP state lawmaker Sen. Sandy Crawford, argued that “God doesn’t make mistakes.”
“Even in some of these very horrific cases, there was a reason that God allowed there to be a child out of this situation,” Crawford said.
Gubernatorial candidate Sen. Bill Eigel bizarrely argued that he will not support exceptions for rape and incest because a “one-year-old could get an abortion.”
“I don’t know that a one-year-old could get pregnant, Senator,” a Democratic state senator responded, according to Jezebel.
As Republicans in the state remain unmoved, advocates are leading a campaign to get abortion rights on the ballot in November. There is a proposal to ban the procedure after 12 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest and fetal abnormalities.
There is also another proposal which would enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution up to the point of viability, which is around 24 weeks. That proposal has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood and other abortion-rights groups.
