Saturday 2 July 2022 05:03 PM Mississippi House Speaker opposes abortion for 12-year-old girl raped and ... trends now
Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn said he believes a 12-year-old girl raped and impregnated by her father should not be allowed to have an abortion.
The powerful Republican said he didn't think abortion laws should make exceptions for rape and incest, noting how he personally believes 'life begins at conception' and 'every life is valuable.'
Gunn issued his controversial remark just hours after the Supreme Court upheld Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban and overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that guaranteed abortion rights in the U.S.
Mississippi's current legislation permits for an abortion in cases of rape but does not allow an exception for incest.
Gunn said he wasn't sure 'what the Legislature's appetite' would be for ensuring child rape and incest victims could obtain abortions, but reiterated that he doesn't think officials should revisit the law.
When asked if a 12-year-old who was raped by a relative should be forced to carry her child to term, Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn said he didn't think abortion laws should make exceptions for rape and incest. He reiterated that he personally believes 'life begins at conception' and 'every life is valuable'
Associated Press reporter Emily Wagster Pettus probed Gunn on the Mississippi House floor on Friday, June 24 - the same day SCOTUS made the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
'What about the case of a 12-year-old girl who was molested by her father or uncle?' she asked Gunn.
He replied: 'No, (the law) does not include an exception for incest. I don't know that that will be changed.'
'Do you think the Legislature should revisit that?' Pettus asked.
'Personally, no. I do not,' Gunn said. 'I believe life begins at conception. Every life is valuable. And those are my personal beliefs.'
The GOP member was further questioned by Daily Journal reporter Taylor Vance who asked: 'So that 12-year-old child molested by her family members should carry that pregnancy to term?'
'That is my personal belief. I believe life begins at conception,' Gunn said, before adding that he didn't want discussions about rape or incest to overshadow the win for pro-life legislation in America and the role Mississippi played in that decision.
'Let me say this, I want today to be about the Roe v. Wade decision. I want today to be about the fact that we have seen an end to abortion in this country,' he stated.
'These other things that y'all are talking about are certainly things we can talk about moving forward. I do not want those things to detract from the significance of this day. I'm afraid if we get too far afield from what we're talking about today, that will overshadow the significance of this day.'
Gunn added: 'I want this day to be about the fact that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, the members of the House of Representatives are the ones that led out on that, it happened in this very room and we're going to celebrate that today.'
Gunn issued his controversial remark just hours after the Supreme Court upheld Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban and overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that guaranteed abortion rights in the U.S. Protesters are pictured outside the Mississippi Capitol on June 28
Mississippi's current legislation permits for an abortion in cases of rape but does not allow an exception for incest. Protesters are pictured outside the statehouse on June 28
Gunn's commentary was met with criticism online.
Actor and comedian Michael Rapaport slammed the Republican in an Instagram post, saying: 'Phillip Gunn Representative from Mississippi believes EVEN Molestation Victim’s from a FATHER should give Birth. This is DISGUSTING.'
'Strange how he emphasizes “I believe” and “those are my personal beliefs” yet he is all
