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God has "a special punishment" for first abortions of first pregnancies, Virginia lawmaker Robert G. Marshall said Feb. 18. Credit: Steve Helber, AP
Virginia lawmaker Robert G. Marshall said babies born with disabilities are God's Old Testament wrath against women who aborted their first pregnancies.
Now he's experiencing a little Old Testament-style wrath himself -- while swearing he is penitent.
The Washington Post reports Marshall apologizes for comments he made Feb. 18 during a news conference calling for an end to his state's funding of Planned Parenthood.
"The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion who have handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the firstborn of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children," Marshall told the crowd.
According to the Post, outrage against Marshall has gone viral -- spread by social networking sites on the Internet and a petition demanding his resignation.
Many Christians are among the incensed.
One of them is Brett Wills of Staunton, Va., whose 8-year-old son has autism. "I am amazed that someone has been able to slander my child, my wife and my God in one comment," Wills tells the Post. "To imply that someone's disabilities are an act of God to punish women in an immoral society is just the most outrageous thing I've ever heard."
Marshall, a Republican who represents the Prince William area in the Virginia General Assembly, insists he is sorry.
The Post reports he issued a formal statement Feb. 15, apologizing for remarks that "conveyed the impression that I believe disabled children are a punishment for prior abortions." He added his words were "poorly chosen."
"I have devoted a generation of work to defending disabled and unwanted children and have always maintained that they are special blessings to their parents," he said in the statement.
Marshall also said his words were taken out of context, that he was talking about purported medical evidence about how the abortions of first-time pregnancies jeopardize later pregnancies. The Old Testament supports such research, he claimed.
"The point is, there are profound consequences to the act of abortion," Marshall tells the Post.
Jennifer McMillen, whose 8-year-old son has autism and cerebral palsy, tells the Post she doesn't care what Marshall [intended] to say. "His comments were inappropriate and unacceptable, and something needs to be done," she tells the paper.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
2-25-2010 @ 3:48PM
Glenn said...A Republican sid something stupid? Go figure.
Reply
2-25-2010 @ 6:56PM
Ray said...Typical evangelical idiot daring to speak for God! I wonder how much porn this creep owns!
Reply
2-25-2010 @ 6:44PM
Ray said...Typical evangelical idiot who dare speak and judge for God.
I wonder how much porn this creep owns!
Reply
2-25-2010 @ 11:58PM
Denise McMillan said...The guy is an idiot. I'm a Mother of five. I have twins that are developmentally disabled. I NEVER ABORTED A CHILD! I've seen women that have and gone on to have healthy children. My twins were God's Gift to tell me that I'm a good Mother.
Reply
2-26-2010 @ 10:30PM
Trish Bruner said...My daughter is the best mother i know but she has had 2 disabled kids her little boy died at 11 weeks old, then she got pregnant with her little girl and she had a stroke before she was born but she would never have an abortion . I would just like to know where this idiot gets his information at because it dont come from the bible.
Reply
3-04-2010 @ 11:02PM
Anjel said...He then needs to realise that you reap what you sow...we all have to answer for our iniquities....he needs to take the wood out of his own eye before he can tell someone to take the wood out of theirs..sweep around your own front door ...before you try to sweep around someone elses....
Reply
4-22-2010 @ 4:30PM
originlcin said...He says he defends the disabled and unwanted. How well does he fund them? Or does he justify throwing them under the bus in the name of tax cuts?
Reply
4-22-2010 @ 5:40PM
SKL said...He didn't say all disabled kids are God's wrath. He said that a consequence of abortion may be that later kids born from the same womb have disabilities. Your intentional twisting of this man's words about such a subject shows YOUR insensitivity to such a horrific statement. In fact, he didn't say this, YOU did. Shame on you.
It is a proven fact that an abortion can have a negative impact on later pregnancies. That doesn't mean all the disabled kids born of a woman who previously had an abortion are God's punishment. So I don't like the way he said what he said. But, I do believe that the choice to have (or to urge someone else to have) an elective abortion is sinful and I do believe that sins are punished.
Reply
5-11-2010 @ 11:11AM
Phil said...Whatever, SKL... Nothing has been 'proven', there have only been studies suggesting that this may be an issue. And in your last sentence, you pretty much state exactly what this guy said with your punishment remark - you just did it more politically correct....