Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia made her most outlandish claim yet, this time suggesting that women choose to get abortions because Satan himself "whispers" that men will marry them if they do.
Greene issued her remarks this week during an interview with Catholic activist Michael Voris, who produces catechetical and news videos and articles on the website Church Militant.
Voris, an "ex-gay" who uses Church Militant to espouse homophobic views, has been cited by the Southern Poverty Law Center for using his platform to promote hate speech.
You can hear what Greene said in the video below.
Greene suggested that women are successfully manipulated by Satan into getting abortions, as when she said:
“It’s whispered, softly and gently, into your ears and into your soul, and he tells you it’s okay, it's this one thing, you're just going to get it over with."
"And then he tells you a promise. He promises you all these dreams that you have in your heart, and that's how Satan sells us sin and that’s how he sells abortion."
"He tells a woman that all you have to do is you’re just going to go to this clinic, just going to get it over with, you know."
“And then you’re going to, that guy, he’s going to stay with you, that boyfriend or the guy, whoever he is, he’s going to marry you, sweep you off your feet.”
Greene's remarks were swiftly criticized.
Greene's remarks come as the Republican Party continues to take bold steps to limit access to abortions and reproductive healthcare around the country, emboldened by the very real possibility that Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that protects a pregnant woman's right to choose reproductive healthcare without excessive government restriction, will be overturned.
A draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, which was leaked Monday night, appears to have a five vote majority support on the conservative court.
Last week, Republican lawmakers passed legislation that would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is typically around six weeks into pregnancy and before many women are even aware that they are pregnant.
Shortly before that, the Republican-controlled legislature enacted near-total ban on abortion except in cases where the pregnant person’s life is endangered. That legislation also targets those who perform abortions, who would face up to 10 years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines if caught violating the law.
Republicans are also making efforts to pass similar legislation in Ohio, where Jean Schmidt, a state Representative, was criticized after she argued a pregnancy from rape is actually an "opportunity" for a woman to raise a child, send them to live with a family member or put them up for adoption.
Schmidt's legislation, H.B. 598, is a trigger ban that would immediately criminalize abortion in Ohio in the event Roe v. Wade is successfully overturned, which many reproductive healthcare advocates expect will happen because of the 6–3 majority-conservative Supreme Court.
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