ThinkProgress: As the House of Representatives prepares on Tuesday to consider huge legislative restrictions on a woman’s right to choose, one GOP congressman is using the idea that fetuses can masturbate to argue for more abortion restrictions.It’s tempting to look at this, think about Todd Akin and Trent Franks and conclude that these men are very stupid. And they may be. But the truth is that they don’t actually believe any of this crap, they’re just hoping you do. If they’re stupid, they’re stupid liars. Burgess doesn’t think fetuses whack it and he probably knows there’s no evidence that a 15-week-old fetus can feel or are even capable of experiencing anything. But he’s rationalizing his position, because stating it flat out would make it incredibly unpopular — he wants to pass legislation that can be used to overturn Roe v. Wade.
On Monday evening, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), an Ob/Gyn by trade, told his colleagues to, “Watch a sonogram of a 15-week baby, and they have movements that are purposeful”:
They stroke their face. If they’re a male baby, they may have their hand between their legs. If they feel pleasure, why is it so hard to believe that they could feel pain?
So he — like Todd Akin and Trent Franks — makes up stupid lies to justify his position. As always, the most religious in America are the least honest.
