Meet Isaac Latterell. Isaac runs a small business in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He fixes computers for other small business owners. And he is a State Representative for District 6. As a Republican he supports some very common principles such as limited government, balanced budget and low taxes. It is fair to say that in many ways Isaac Latterell is a politically engaged citizen with roots in his community. That is a good thing.
Here comes the great however: Isaac Latterell, his position on abortion and the way he shares it with the world is also a striking example for everything that is wrong with (parts of) the Republican Party and more general with the political culture in the oldest democracy on the planet.
Abortion is a very complex issue that touches on medical, moral and religious aspects. Abortion is an integral part of the debate about women’s rights and gender relations. There are no easy answers. There are many arguments to support the right to have an abortion. There are also valid arguments to debate the conditions for an abortion.
Having said that, comparing abortion to beheadings by ISIS is definitely not an acceptable position. In fact, it is among the most moronic things that can be said for a myriad of reasons. Unfortunately, Isaac Latterell has done exactly that. On his website, he published a blog post under the title „Planned Parenthood worse than ISIS and lying about it“ in which he wrote:
„No state, no religion, and no organization should ever be allowed to use this unspeakably horrifying method. While we rightly take the speck out of our neighbor’s eye by holding ISIS accountable, let us be sure to take the plank out of our own eye by holding Planned Parenthood accountable.“
He has also introduced a bill to the South Dakota House of Representatives under the title „The preborn infant beheading ban 2015“.
Isaac Latterell’s musings have generated some negative coverage. I can only assume that this prompted him to change the title of the blog to „Planned Parenthood beheading children and lying about it“. Remarkably enough for a guy who makes a living from working with and fixing computers, the URL remained unchanged by the time of this writing. http://www.isaaclatterell.com/2015/02/17/planned-parenthood-worse-than-isis-and-lying-about-it/ (as of February 19, 1800 CET).
UPDATE: The reactions from Planned Parenthood and especially its president Cecile Richards came prompt and with a vengeance.
Picture (c) Jim Bauer, Badlands National Park, South Dakota
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