Utah Republican wants to stop using the 'ugly language' of rape and incest exceptions for abortion
This post was originally published on this site
Utah Republicans may be about to change their official position on abortion to be extra punitive. Their official party platform currently reads, “We strongly oppose abortion, except to preserve the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest,” but at their state party convention, Utah Republicans will consider a measure to take out the rape, incest, and life of the mother exceptions in favor of, “and encourage adoption,” The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Bob McEntee, the delegate who is proposing the change, offered up a stream of comments that strongly suggest he has never met a woman, let alone had a conversation with one.
RELATED STORY: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs 15-week abortion ban into law without exceptions for rape or incest
“I want people to understand that there’s a long line of people that want to adopt a baby. However hard it might be if they get through that pregnancy and give that child up for adoption, I think that would be a better solution,” McEntee said.
”However hard it might be,” he said of pregnancy and childbirth, which kill people in this country every single day. Utah’s pregnancy-related mortality ratio was 25.6 per 100,000 live births in 2019.
Of course, most pregnant women don’t die. But they all—every single one—experience a major and painful medical event. They all experience limitations on daily life for months at a stretch. Many find their ability to do their jobs and therefore pay their bills seriously compromised. And that’s not taking into account the major traumas of victims of rape or incest who Bob McEntee thinks should be required to live every day with pregnancies criminally forced on them. Or people who Bob McEntee thinks should be required to live every day with pregnancies that actively and predictably endanger their lives.
Bob McEntee doesn’t want to talk about any of that, though.
“It’s kind of ugly language. We don’t need to talk about rape or incest. That almost sounded like a permission slip to go get an abortion if this happens. We want to put in people’s minds adoption,” McEntee said.
It’s kind of ugly language? Gosh, imagine dealing with the ugly reality. McEntee apparently doesn’t expect he’ll have to deal with that reality, though, whereas the language is something he might just be able to ban from his life.
The Utah Republican platform in its current state, with the ugly language exceptions, reflects that of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which also has those exceptions. McEntee disapproves.
“I think the LDS Church has given kind of light value to the life of an unborn baby in this case, even though it could be distressing to the mother. We’re not asking lawmakers to outlaw abortion because of rape or incest. We just want to remind people not to forget about adoption as an alternative,” he told the Tribune.
Oh. You’re trying to put it in the official platform of the party that controls state government, but you’re not asking for abortion to be outlawed in those cases. While your party has outlawed it even in cases of rape or incest in state after state in recent months. This move to change the official Utah Republican platform is, what, entirely rhetorical? Despite the backdrop of Republican state after Republican state taking extremely concrete action on exactly this issue?
A 15-week abortion ban in Florida without exceptions for rape or incest. A ban in Oklahoma that not only doesn’t include rape or incest exceptions but threatens medical providers with jail. The six-week ban in Texas with copycats in Idaho, Missouri, and more. In this context, a state Republican Party eliminating exceptions from its platform is not just some reminder about adoption. (Which, news flash, everyone knows is an option. They don’t need the reminder.)
The degree of flippant waving-off of the reality of pregnancy, rape, and incest is staggering. Every single word out of this man’s mouth oozes disregard for women’s lives. But this is the mainstream Republican Party these days—the range of attitudes toward women’s bodily autonomy ranges from dismissive to actively hostile.
RELATED STORIES:
Oklahoma governor signs bill banning abortions, threatens providers with prison time and fines
Legendary reproductive justice activist advises women to start talking openly about abortion