GOP Tells Woman Should Have Carried Brain-Dead Fetus term

[doggie]

Well of course the doctors could be wrong Hey he knew a woman that stuck it out and it is fine but of course it is not the same. But hey I know why he thinks it would be ok because he is brain dead and is still somewhat functioning.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/2 ... 32823.html

At a congressional hearing Thursday on an abortion bill that would ban the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) told a female witness that she should have carried her pregnancy to term even though doctors had discovered the fetus had no brain function.

Think Progress first reported that the Democrats' sole witness at the hearing, Christy Zink, told an all-male panel of congressmen the painful story of her decision to end her pregnancy at 21 weeks, because tests showed that the fetus' brain was not functioning. If she had been forced to carry the pregnancy to term, she said, the baby would have spent most of its life in the hospital having surgery after surgery.

"I would have had to carry to term and give birth to a baby whom the doctors concurred had no chance of a life and would have experienced near-constant pain,†Zink said. “If he had survived the pregnancy -- which was not certain -- he might never have left the hospital. My daughter’s life, too, would have been irrevocably hurt by an almost always-absent parent.â€

[lizziesmom]

This is what makes me so livid about the GOP. They want limited government except in the area of private rights. It's the parents who should make these decisions, after consultation with a doctor. It's not like the GOP supports any programs who help kids and families once children are born -- the exact opposite is the case. Politicians should STFU and stay out of it. I can't say I am at all surprised this clown is from Texas.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

And don't forget, any expenses for the medical care of any baby you carry to term falls under personal responsibility. Don't be looking for a government handout!

[doggie]

I can see this asshat gleefully denying her an abortion and then making her pay for everything. Texas does not support woman or children.

[Flossie]

What condition did the baby have that would have doomed the child to a life of constant pain?

Why would anyone perform surgery after surgery on a basically brain-dead patient?

Was the child anencephalic?

[Coconut Flan]

This was his medical problem in a quote from her testimony:

However, when I was 21 weeks pregnant, in almost the same breath that we found out we were having a son; an MRI revealed that our baby was missing the central connecting structure of the two parts of his brain. A specialist diagnosed the baby with agenesis of the corpus callosum. What allows the brain to function as a whole was simply absent. But that wasn't all. Part of the baby's brain had failed to develop. Where the typical human brain presents a lovely, rounded symmetry, our baby had small globular splotches. In effect, our son was missing one side of his brain.

[Mela99]

What a brave woman.

Big surprise that the rep is from Texas.

How can you say that to a woman? The time and money and pain both physical and emotional that giving birth to a dying child...

What purpose would it serve?

[kb2]

What a brave woman.

Big surprise that the rep is from Texas.

How can you say that to a woman? The time and money and pain both physical and emotional that giving birth to a dying child...

What purpose would it serve?

I think the purpose is so people unaffected by the tragedy can say, "La-la-la-la-la I don't think anything that bad really happens in the world I can't hear you!"

[runlikeagirl]

This is what makes me so livid about the GOP. They want limited government except in the area of private rights. It's the parents who should make these decisions, after consultation with a doctor. It's not like the GOP supports any programs who help kids and families once children are born -- the exact opposite is the case. Politicians should STFU and stay out of it. I can't say I am at all surprised this clown is from Texas.

Isn't it interesting that they want TOTAL control of homeschooling and family matters with NO gov't interference even in the case of chid abuse; basically giving all rights to parents, yet this doesn't extend to abortion and the mother's right to do as she wishes with that child??

[Anxious Girl]

I wonder if he'll think about running for commander of Gilead president of America...

[Rowan]

“Life gives us many experiences,†England said in response to concerns that a woman would have to carry a fetus to term that was not expected to live. “I’ve had the experience of delivering calves, dead and alive -- delivering pigs, dead and alive. … It breaks our hearts to see those animals not make it.â€

Because that's exactly the same. :angry-banghead: :angry-fire: So babies are comparable to farm animals now? And women are just the breeding stock?

[FreeJosie]

Louie isn't even capable of carrying a fetus in his body, yet he thinks he should have an opinion on what someone else does.

[mlady]

It really bothers me that we have people like this, who make laws that effect us, and basically have to start below square one to educate them on the very things they are legislating. Laws made in ignorance are so damaging.

[curlytoes79]

These extreme pro-lifers are fixated on the fetus...they will do anything to make sure it's carried to term and delivered, whether it's live or dead, doesn't have a brain, etc. Why? Because the idea that a woman, in consultation with her doctor, has control over a life-or-death situation like this terrifies them. That's why they don't give two shits about a kid once its born; the woman no longer has that same level of control over it. This is 100% about taking power away from women and 0% about any concern for fetuses or babies.

[Tom Slick]

Way to shoot yourselves in the foot GOP.....pun intended.