RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 24 (UPI) -- In a lengthy Facebook rant, Virginia State Sen. Steve Martin called pregnant women “hosts,” adding parenthetically, “some refer to them as mothers.”
The Republican's tirade was in response to a Valentine’s Day card sent to him by the Virginia Pro-Choice Coalition. In the card, coalition members urged Senator Martin to reconsider his stance on reproductive rights, stating, "All women deserve access to their full range of reproductive health options -- including preventing unintentional pregnancies, raising healthy children, and choosing safe, legal abortion.”
In a Facebook post that has since been edited, Martin quotes the Valentine's card and responds with vitriol:
"You can count on me to never get in the way of you 'preventing' an unintentional pregnancy.' I'm not actually sure what that means, because if it's 'unintentional' you must have been trying to prevent it. And, I don't expect to be in the room or will I do anything to prevent you from obtaining a contraceptive. However, once a child does exist in your womb, I'm not going to assume a right to kill it just because the child’s host (some refer to them as mothers) doesn't want it to remain alive."
"Child’s host" has since been changed to read "bearer of the child," but the sentiment remains the same.
"Sen. Steve Martin obviously has zero understanding of the reality of reproductive choice and what it means for women to have control over their bodies, families, and lives," Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, told The Huffington Post.
"His remarks demonstrate what exactly these extreme lawmakers mean when they talk about 'personhood' - that pregnant women are no more than vessels. Even more outrageous, he also fails to understand how he as a lawmaker can help empower women to reduce unintended pregnancies -- something that should be a common goal for all."
"These folks are really sick people!" Martin's rant ends. At the time of this article, his post had 99 "likes" and 16 shares.
[Steve Martin Facebook] [Huffington Post]
