GOP lawmaker: Abortion should be banned because women need to replenish the workforce

Earlier this week, the Wisconsin State Assembly pushed through a bill that would prevent state employee health plans from covering abortions, except in the case of rape, incest, or if the mother’s life is in danger. But according to Wisconsin GOP Rep. Scott Allen, that’s not good enough.

“Often in public debates people are afraid to say it, but let me just say it: Abortion is wrong,” Allen said on the assembly floor in Madison according to WIZM. “Although it may be legal we should in no way shape or form should we provide public funding for abortion.”

It’s a sentiment heard many times before from pro-life politicians. But then Allen made his argument from an economic perspective.

“Labor force shortages are tied to population declines. Labor force shortages are a limiting factor in economic growth,” he said. “And limited economic growth poses a problem when government tries to pay for public services and infrastructure. In spite of this Mr. Speaker, ironically, the Democrats continue their effort to support the abortion industry.”

In sum, Allen is arguing that women should be forced to give birth for the sake of the labor market.

Video of Allen’s words were shared by NARAL Pro-Choice America on Twitter, and the outrage was palpable. Some compared Allen’s words to the Margaret Atwood novel The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian story which explores themes about women subject to misogyny in a patriarchal society.

https://twitter.com/seamus/status/926593047634124801

Others slammed Allen for suggesting that women should be forced to operate as baby factors aimed at improving economic growth.

From ThinkProgress:

According to the Capital Times in Wisconsin, the state Department of Employee Trust Funds already specifies that it will only cover abortions for “medically necessary” procedures. But this bill takes that a step further and makes sure “medically necessary” is clearly and concretely defined.

Democrats in the Wisconsin State Assembly tried to add two amendments to the bill — one to clarify that the measure would not impede the use of contraception, and another to get rid of the requirement that the victim of sexual assault or incest report the crime to law enforcement before being eligible for an abortion. Both amendments were rejected; those votes also were split strictly on party lines.

Featured image via YouTube

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.