Swalwell Stunned by Witness Claiming Rape Victims Who Get Abortions Aren’t Actually Getting Abortions: ‘Wait…’
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) was taken aback by a witness’ response insisting that abortions performed on rape victims who are minors aren’t actually abortions.
During Thursday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on the impact of the Supreme Court striking down a constitutional right to abortion, Swalwell questioned Catherine Glenn Foster of the anti-abortion group Americans United for Life.
The congressman alluded to a now infamous case of a pregnant 10-year-old rape victim in Ohio who traveled to Indiana in order to obtain an abortion. Ohio has banned abortion when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which is around six weeks of pregnancy. Although the state attorney general has claimed she could have obtained the abortion in Ohio, the law itself doesn’t corroborate this.
“Do you think a 10-year-old should choose to carry a baby?” Swalwell asked.
“I believe it would probably impact her life and so therefore, it would fall under any exception and would not be an abortion,” Foster replied.
“Wait,” said Swalwell, who then paused as if to gather his thoughts on the answer. “It would not be an abortion if a 10-year-old – with her parents – made the decision not to have a baby that was the result of rape?”
She answered, “If a 10-year-old became pregnant as a result of rape and it was threatening her life, then that’s not an abortion. So, it would not fall under any abortion restriction in our nation.”
Swalwell turned to another witness, Sarah Warbelow of the pro-choice Human Rights Campaign.
“Ms. Warbelow, are you familiar with disinformation?” he asked.
“Yes, I am,” she responded.
“Did you just hear some disinformation?” he queried.
“Yes, I heard some very significant disinformation,” she stated. “An abortion is a procedure. It’s a medical procedure that individuals undergo for a wide range of circumstances including, because they have been sexually assaulted, raped in the case of the 10-year-old. It doesn’t matter whether or not there’s a statutory exemption. It is still a medical procedure that is understood to be an abortion. Beyond that, I think it’s also important to note that there is no exception for the life or the health of the mother in the Ohio law. That’s why that 10-year-old had to cross state lines in order to receive an abortion.”
Watch above via C-SPAN 3.
