Once again, an anti-abortion Republican lawmaker argued against access to the procedure by comparing pregnant women to breeding livestock.
While debating a potential 14-week abortion ban Thursday, Wisconsin state Rep. Joel Kitchens told his colleagues he knows that “abortion is not health care” because of his career as a veterinarian working with pets, cattle, horses and other farm animals.
“You know, in my veterinary career, I did thousands of ultrasounds on animals, you know, determining pregnancy and that kind of thing,” Kitchens said. “So I think I know mammalian fetal development better than probably anyone here. And in my mind, there’s absolutely no question that’s a life, and I think the science backs me up on that.”
No major scientific or medical group agrees with Kitchens’ claims about fetuses.
The moment was first reported on and shared by Heartland Signal .
This isn’t the first time a lawmaker has compared pregnant women to livestock. A year ago, Idaho state Rep. Jack Nelsen was forced to apologize after he suggested his experience as a “lifelong dairy farmer” gave him some expertise on women’s reproductive health.