In Parkersburg, West Virginia, there’s a city councilman who’s really excited about newly minted Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. So much so, that he telling liberal women to get their back-alley abortion devices ready.
Many on the Right, especially the Christian Right, see Kavanaugh’s confirmation as a victory in the fight against abortion, and City Councilman Eric Barber is one of those people. In a comment thread in a Facebook group for locals, Barber commented, “Better get you’re (sic) coathangers ready liberals.”
Barber was presumably praising, or making a mockery of the extreme measures some women may go to if Roe v. Wade is overturned. He deleted the comment soon after.
In a screen shot published by the Friendly Atheist‘s David G. McAfee, one member of the group managed to get a screen shot of the comment and shared it in a post calling Barber out.
“Shocker, that comment didn’t take too long to get deleted,” a group member only identified as “Tom” wrote.
“Any elected official who speaks this way, especially in a public forum, should be stripped of their seat immediately,” he added.
According to McAfee, Barber defended his comment by saying he once had a protester throw a coat hanger at him. A scroll through his public Facebook posts shows various anti-LGBT sentiments.
A closer look at Barber’s history shows a troubled man. According to a report from The Parkersburg News and Sentinel from last year, he has a decently-sized criminal history in the city.
His arrest on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and obstruction Monday was not Parkersburg City Councilman Eric Barber’s first brush with local law enforcement.
He has an outstanding warrant from Belpre Mayor’s Court for failure to appear in 2013 on a possession of marijuana charge, had his driver’s license reinstated earlier this year after a 2012 driving under the influence charge and served time in the state correctional system after pleading guilty to breaking and entering in 1999.
Three months after his arrest, Barber left the Democratic party because a local politician voiced support for the separation of church and state. “Good riddance,” as far as McAfee is concerned. “People like that shouldn’t be Democrats”
This is a man who has repeatedly insulted some of the most vulnerable people in our society, including his own constituents. He delights in the idea that women who might need abortions — many of whom, it should be said, are conservatives — may have to resort to often-fatal back alley abortions. He also shows no respect for the secular nation that our Founders clearly envisioned — or for the law in general.
Barber’s sentiment was more moderately echoed by Congressman Steve King (R-IA) in a tweet this Saturday, also celebrating what he thinks is the impending reversal of the landmark reproductive rights law.
“Soon, babies like this little angel will be protected in the womb by law,” King tweeted with a picture of a sleeping baby.
Featured image via screen grab/WTAP News
