Response to Anti-Choice Theory

It has been a week since VA State Representative, Bob Marshall, made statements linking abortion to the presence of disabilities in subsequent children. Since then, he has clarified his statements, but his message remains the same:

A woman's right to have an abortion should be outlawed, because it literally causes, as a punishment from God, health concerns for future children. Marshall's remarks were as follows:

"The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children."

To many, this line of thought is not only flawed, but highly offensive to any woman who chooses to take their reproductive health into their own hands.

One Feministing.com contributor, sharkfu, has a brother who was diagnosed with severe autism and therefore has a unique perspective on Marshall's theory:

"My mother didn't bring autism down upon my brother and our family through her reproductive health care choices or poor parenting.

As my brother's advocate and guardian, I reject the "punishment from God" rhetoric because it is insulting at best and it attempts to absolve society of our responsibility to respect difference at worst. Many of the same so-called family value politicians who spew that mess are the same fiends who turn around and vote against autism insurance legislation and reject funding social programs that benefit older autistic folks like my brother."

Read this moving post in its entirety.

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