Liz Cheney is furious over comments Steve King made on rape and incest at the Westside Conservative Club yesterday. She took to Twitter and said it’s time for him to go:
Today’s comments by @RepSteveKingIA are appalling and bizarre. As I’ve said before, it’s time for him to go. The people of Iowa’s 4th congressional district deserve better.
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) August 14, 2019
So what did Steve King say that was so ‘appalling and bizarre’?
DES MOINES REGISTER – “What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled those people out that were products of rape and incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?” he said at in Urbandale, Iowa. “Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages taken place and whatever happened to culture after society? I know I can’t certify that I’m not a part of a product of that.”
The Kiron Republican was discussing his defense of not allowing exceptions for rape and incest in the anti-abortion legislation he tried to pass in Congress. Republican leadership had prevented bills he sponsored on banning abortions from advancing through the House, despite GOP support for the measures, King said.
Just because a conception happened in bad circumstances doesn’t mean the result isn’t a person, King, who is Catholic, argued.
“It’s not the baby’s fault for the sin of the father, or of the mother,” he said.
Taken in context, I get what King is saying. He’s talking about rape and incest being terrible excuses for abortion. It’s a weird way to make the argument, but again, in context it makes sense.
I don’t know if Cheney heard the whole context or not. I know some articles don’t even mention the fact that King was talking about abortion, like this one from The Hill. They just quote his remarks and they do sound bizarre when not in context, as if he’s glorifying rape and incest. It’s just dishonest to leave the context out.
As much as I like Cheney, I can’t say I’m with her on this one.
UPDATE: Here’s video of King’s remarks. It changes nothing for me.