Congressman: Women Should Be Forced To Give Birth To Fetuses With No Brain Function

[DonViejo]

By Tara Culp-Ressler posted from ThinkProgress Health on May 24, 2013 at 9:06 am

At a congressional committee hearing to discuss a proposed measure to criminalize abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, a Texas lawmaker told a woman who made the difficult choice to terminate a non-viable pregnancy that she should have carried the fetus to term anyway — even though an MRI had already revealed that he was missing a large part of his brain and didn’t have much chance of survival.

On Thursday, Christy Zink testified in opposition to H.R. 1797, a 20-week abortion ban that anti-abortion representatives of Congress keep attempting to impose upon the women in the nation’s capital. Abortion opponents claim that 20-week bans are necessary to prevent “fetal pain.” But in her testimony, Zink pointed out it’s misleading to suggest that this abortion restriction would serve this purpose, since forcing her to carry her pregnancy to term would have actually caused her unborn son considerable pain.

At 21 weeks, Zink’s doctors discovered that her fetus had no brain function. That type of fetal abnormality was impossible to detect earlier in her pregnancy. “If this bill had been passed before my pregnancy, I would have had to carry to term and give birth to a baby whom the doctors concurred had no chance of a life and would have experienced near-constant pain,” Zink explained. “If he had survived the pregnancy — which was not certain — he might never have left the hospital. My daughter’s life, too, would have been irrevocably hurt by an almost always-absent parent.”

In order to justify his support for H.R. 1797, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) suggested that Zink should have given birth to her son anyway, regardless of the pain that may have caused her family. The congressman told a story about a different couple who decided to give birth to a fetus with different types of disabilities — suggesting that Zink should have made the same choice for her son, instead of deciding to “rip him apart”:

full article + video
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/05/24/2055311/gohmert-fetal-abnormalities-abortion-bill/

[Mnemosyne]

1. Repubs protecting future repubs.

Sorry, Don, probably bad taste, but was the first thing popped into my head when reading "no brain function".

[burrowowl]

12. Bad Taste but

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. I instantly thought exactly the same thing.

So don't feel bad.

[Mnemosyne]

16. I kinda did feel bad at first, but have such a twisted brain could not stop myself.

Bad brains, bad brains, whatcha' gonna do?

Hope your holiday is safe and peaceful, dixiegrrrrl!

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. Thanks, Mnemosyne

Same wishes for you.

[Frustratedlady]

2. After seeing some of the bills that Gohmert supports,

I'm beginning to wonder if that is what Louie's mother did...carried to full term.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. I cannot express my total disgust with Louie and his ilk!!!!!!!!!!!

[ruffburr]

4. I shoulda known-

It was Gomert,Who else would be such a ass, Oh thats right, The whole load of Wingers would go right along with Gomert's Crazy.

[Historic NY]

5. Well that certainly explains Louis' lack of mental function....

Texas you must have some living cells smarter than him down there.

[kestrel91316]

6. Pain is not a consideration AT ALL where there is no functioning cerebral cortex.

[Bake]

7. Texas. Of course. Why am I not surprised?

That describes most Rethugs in the Lone Star State anyway ...

Bake

[BlueDemKev]

8. Sure, Why Not? After all, Gohmert's Mother Did!

[treestar]

9. This should prove that the real concern is not the fetus

But controlling its mother.

[Quantess]

14. That is the inescapable conclusion. (no text)

[Arkana]

10. There's a joke here about those babies being future Republicans,

but I know it's been made already without even reading the responses.

[agentS]

11. Yes, Rep. Gohmert, because Disability type A is the same as Disability type D...

I think this guy makes Gov. Perry look brilliant.

[sakabatou]

13. Ugh