Republican Geroge Faught said babies born of these crimes are: “beauty from ashes”
On Tuesday, George Faught, a Republican lawmaker, claimed that rape and incest could be part of “God’s will” while at a meeting to discuss Oklahoma house’s controversial House Bill-1549. The legislation would prevent women from aborting pregnancies in the case of a genetic deformity, and the two usual exceptions to abortion restrictions, rape and incest, were omitted from the bill.
When challenged by Democrat Rep. Cory Williams and asked whether rape is the will of God, Faught said: “if you read the Bible, there’s actually a couple circumstances where that happened and the Lord uses all circumstances”, adding, “I mean, you can go down that path, but it’s a reality, unfortunately.” When asked the same question about incest, Faught stated: “same answer. Doesn’t deal with this bill”.
Williams continued, “this body wants to know, myself personally, whether you believe rape and incest are actually the will of God.” Faught’s only answer was, “obviously if it happens in someone’s life, it may not be the best thing that ever happened. But, so you’re saying that God is not sovereign with every activity that happens in someone’s life and can’t use anything and everything in someone’s life, and I disagree with that.” His reasoning was that, “life, no matter how it is conceived, is valuable and something to be protected” adding, “let me be clear, God never approves of rape or incest. However, even in the worst circumstances, God can bring beauty from ashes.”
Despite the protest from Democrats in the house, the bill passed and will now move to the state senate. If it goes ahead, doctors could face fines of up to $100,000, get sued by women who have abortions, and have their licences revoked or suspended. Faught’s repulsive rhetoric may be appalling, but in the current climate, it’s not remotely surprising. You can watch the full discussion above.