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Congresswoman Jean Schmidt Talks Abortion in Front of the Kids
Filed under: In The News, Sex
Republican Congresswoman Jean Schmidt of Ohio described abortion as murder. Credit: Kris Connor/Getty Images
If any those parents live in Ohio's Second Congressional District, they may want to write their congresswoman.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, was talking to a group of students ranging from 6 to 14 years old at a local Catholic school when one of the children asked a question about abortion.
Schmidt answered it.
For about two minutes, Schmidt talked about her opposition to abortion, describing it as the murder of a baby inside a mother's womb.
Inside her ... what? For the younger children, who might still think the birthing process involves a stork, this womb business was probably a big enough shocker. Add to it a macabre and murderous twist and, well, suddenly parents have some questions of their own.
That's putting it delicately, because let's just say Schmidt really hit the fan.
Dan Teller, the principal at Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori, quickly dashed off a letter to parents, explaining this little bit of sex education is not part of the curriculum.
"Your children may come home with questions, especially if this is a topic that has not been broached in your home," Teller wrote in a letter to parents, obtained by WLWT, the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati.
Schmidt may have only talked about abortion for two minutes toward to the end of her speech during the Q & A, but while reportedly not graphic, her remarks were apparently quite memorable.
"She defined abortion as the taking of a child's life in the mother's womb," Teller wrote in the letter.
Schmidt "was not invited to further any political agenda," Teller wrote. He apologized to parents "for any confusion or fear that this may elicit on the part of your child, and for the awkward position this may put you in of introducing a difficult issue at a time that may be premature for you."
Bruce Pfaff, a spokesman for Schmidt, tells the Enquirer it's not like the congresswoman veered off topic and launched into an emotional tirade against abortion. She was discussing the connection between morality and legislation and used abortion as an example.
Her controversial remarks started when she was responding to a student's follow-up question.
"She answered consistent with Catholic teaching," Pfaff tells the Enquirer.
Pfaff adds that Schmidt told children to talk to their parents when they kept asking abortion questions.
Schmidt is running for re-election against Democratic challenger Surya Yalamanchili, who was -- fancy that -- quick to respond to the situation.
"We've elected leaders to Congress who have absolutely zero judgment on even the most basic matters," he says in a statement reprinted on TopicFire.com. "Regardless of your views on abortion, speaking to a group of 6-year-old children that are not yours about such a sensitive topic should be common sense."
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
10-28-2010 @ 7:24PM
TL said...There is a time and place for everything and Schmidt had no business discussing that in front of six year old children. I don't need any government official teaching my family their moral values, whether I agree with them or not. I would be furious if my child was there. I have no idea how Schmidt, who is mentally imbalanced, keeps getting reelected.
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10-28-2010 @ 8:57PM
Michelle said...This doesn't surprise me one bit. This was a Catholic school she was speaking at, so these kids are probably used to hearing about abortion. One of the reasons I stopped attending Catholic mass is because the main topic of discussion always seemed to be to stop abortion. Most of the activities at church revolved around helping unwed mothers-donations or diapers, etc,. and ending abortion-marching to abortion clinics and praying there. There was also a special table where you could place a rose in a vase to represent a miscarried or aborted child, and the priest would pray for them. Not that it's a bad thing, but it bothered me that it was talked about soooo much. I had no choice but to tell my kids about it, even though I wanted to save that conversation until they were a little older. Also, there are other causes that are important, like poverty and homelessness in our own city, teens committing suicide, special needs children and adults, and marriages on the verge of divorce. Yet, my church chose stopping abortion to be the main purpose of the Catholic church. The priest also spoke a lot about the "problem" of gays and transgendered individuals, and the church had a special group called "Change" to try and change these people into heterosexuals. All the talk about sexual things was just kind of creepy. I made the best decision of my life by going back to my Protestant church, where God accepts everyone and the pastor's sermon is appropriate for all, including young children. Even better, my children and I have so many wonderful opportunities to give back to the community now, and not just by holding a weekend or night-time vigil in front of Planned Parenthood-when they are not even open!
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10-30-2010 @ 10:00AM
RKER321 said...No, they are not, I am a Catholic, and all my children went to Catholic schools, never did they hear that word not in school and not at home at that tender age.
10-30-2010 @ 1:40PM
Elizabeth said...RKER321, I have to disagree with you on that one. I went to Catholic school, and I heard the word abortion on a daily basis. Maybe it was the decade, because in the 90s abortion rights were a hot topic, but my teachers were constantly preaching to us how abortion was wrong, and how we should go to this protest at Planned Parenthood, etc. Now granted, we were not six years old, but to this day, I probably would not have learned about abortion (and might even be against it) if it had not been mentioned in a Catholic school setting.
10-29-2010 @ 9:10AM
Alicia said...It's frightening how many anti-choice candidates there are this year and even more frightening that they consider their tactics appropriate.
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10-30-2010 @ 2:04AM
Lauren said...She was asked a question and she answered it honestly. I do agree that it wasn't such a great idea to do so in front of really young kids. But it seems like this is one of those no win situations. If she had avoided answering, she would have come off as a supporter for abortions.
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10-30-2010 @ 9:59AM
RKER321 said...No, she should have excercized common sense, which is what is wrong with too many of these types of candidates.
11-01-2010 @ 1:55PM
Christine said...Kids are intelligent human beings. Give kids the benefit of the doubt. Have them ask. They'll get different points of view, and it is still our job, to answer the questions they have when they come home. Ultimately, the kids will decide what to think about this subject.
10-31-2010 @ 8:29AM
vicky said...I live in Cincinnati, and the local Catholic school/church down the street from my home is littered with 4,000 crosses, with several signs saying: “Can 4,000 abortions in the United States each day be right????? Let’s build a community of love, hope and truth where all life is respected.” There are at least a couple Catholic schools/churches with similar displays in town, and Jean Schmidt spoke at one of them.
I feel Jean Schmidt’s comments to the young children at this school regarding abortion was inappropriate, but honestly, for the Catholic school to make such an issue about her remarks is, to me, appalling. When their own students have to go to a school with a lawn filled with 4,000 crosses, signifying dead, aborted fetuses, how can they possibly demean Jean Schmidt for her comments? Don’t tell me the school doesn’t explain to their students the meaning of the crosses.
Each time the Catholic church pulls this stunt (every year or so), I’m brought back to the time several years ago when my daughters were young. I would cringe when my 5 year old would ask, “Mommy, why are there so many graves at St. Gertrudes?” Or, worst of all, when they would put the names of children on the crosses, my daughter once asked me, “Why is my cousin’s name on that grave?” The Catholic church made it so terribly uncomfortable for me as a mother of two very young daughters. I had no intention of discussing the issue of abortion with my 5 and 6 year old daughters at that moment, or to discuss with them what the word ‘abortion’ even meant! I felt it was such an invasion into my right as a mother to discuss such a sensitive subject with my children when and where I chose.
So when I read that the principal of this Catholic school apologized to the parents of the young children "for any confusion or fear that this may elicit on the part of your child, and for the awkward position this may put you in of introducing a difficult issue at a time that may be premature for you," I have to ask him, where is my apology? For years, you have put parents in a difficult position of discussing this issue prematurely. If you can’t stand by your gross and inappropriate display, I suggest the Catholic church thinks twice the next time they plant their 4,000 crosses indicating America’s daily aborted fetuses. For the church to act so ‘holier than thou’ (pun intended) is wrong. Jean Schmidt shouldn’t have made the abortion comments to such young children, but shame on the Catholic school for throwing her under the bus.
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11-01-2010 @ 4:01PM
David S. said...I attended Catholic schools in the 1970's -- was in the 4th grade when Roe v. Wade was passed. Yes, at that age we were told about abortion and why the church considers it wrong. However, it was the priests and nuns who did that as the representatives of the church -- I don't recall any politician coming to our school and shamelessly using it as a campaign stop. Let Ms. Schmidt stick to her stump speech with adults.
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