Tom DeLay blames immigration crisis on abortions

[babylonsister]

:scared: :scared:

http://feministing.com/archives/007407.html

Putting those fetuses to work

Disgraced former CongressmanTom DeLay tells college Republicans that it's not NAFTA, not economic inequality, not years of failing policies that have brought us to our current immigration crisis. Nope, it's abortion rights. (Forward to the 3:45 minute-mark on this video to watch DeLay say this with a straight face.)

If you believe abortion, if you believe that doesn't affect you... I contend it affects you in immigration. If we had those 40 million children that were killed over the last 40 years, we wouldn't need the illegal immigrants to fill the jobs that they are doing today. Think about it.

Right! If all those white women hadn't had abortions, we'd have plenty of good, upstanding white folks to fill the jobs the scary brown people do now!

Seems like a crazy, fringe perspective, no? All sorts of places are linking to DeLay's comments as if this is news. But this has been a relatively popular talking point of the radical conservative, forced-pregnancy movement for quite awhile. The "abortion-causes-illegal-immigration" view has even been endorsed by Republicans in the Missouri state legislature:

"Suggestions for how to stop illegal hiring varied without any simple solution," the report states. "The lack of traditional work ethic, combined with the effects of 30 years of abortion and expanding liberal social welfare policies have produced a shortage of workers and a lack of incentive for those who can work."

That's right. They use the specter of illegal immigration to justify suggesting the state roll back its reproductive rights and social welfare programs. I only wish Tom DeLay were the only one spouting this crap.

[youthere]

1. *shakes head*

WTF?

[Swamp Rat]

2. Tom DeLay eats cockroaches

[tularetom]

3. Once again life imitates art

Tom delay said this before the Onion could print a parody saying the same thing.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[ceile]

4. oy vey.

:crazy:

[Mz Pip]

5. No, Tom

If abortions were illegal we would just have 40,000,000 more people who wouldn't want to work for cheap. Then we'd just need more illegals.

KO said something like this when he named DeLay as Worst Person in the World last week.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[LostInAnomie]

6. What about the other 28 million theoretical slaves... I mean workers?

At best there are 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. If these immigrants were replaced with 12 million theoretical citizens there would still be a 28 million surplus.

That's another 28 million people looking for work. Another 28 million uninsured. Another 28 million receiving public services. And, that's theorizing that the 12 million jobs that the theoretical citizens accept actually pay MUCH more and actually have benefits that aren't given to the illegal immigrants. In reality, it would be 40 million poor, uninsured, citizens.

That also theorizes that unethical employers won't try to undercut the prevailing wage by hiring illegal immigrants anyway, which is unlikely.

So in reality, you would have 52 million extra citizens competing in a race to the bottom, and draining the system of resources. Good thinking, Tom.

[Az]

7. Throw him this statistic and watch him choke

Around 1993 there was a steep downturn in the crime rate.



Statisticians and Sociologists were hard pressed to explain this sudden drop in crime. That was until they looked to the past. It was 20 years prior that Roe V Wade was handed down insuring women the right to choose whether to carry a fetus to term or not. It was 20 years later that all those unwanted children that were never forced on women did not show up on another statistic. Namely the violent crimes statistics.

[monmouth]

8. I swear to God, it's got to be something in the water in Texas...eom