Congresswoman Talks Abortion to Elementary School Kids

by Roxann MtJoy · 2010-10-27 16:30:00 UTC
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On October 15, Republican Congresswoman Jean Schmidt addressed an assembly of Catholic schoolchildren in her home state of Ohio. Near the end of her talk, Rep. Schmidt was discussing how issues of morality and law intersect when she felt it completely appropriate to bring up the issue of abortion.

In front of her young audience (some students were only six years old), Rep. Schmidt defined abortion as "the taking of a child's life in the mother's womb." This coming from a woman who has fought to keep real sex education out of the classroom. Somehow she thinks it is scandalous and inappropriate to teach students how their own bodies function, but it is completely acceptable to share your personal views on abortion with little kids (and without prior knowledge or consent from parents).

The school principal was disturbed enough to write a letter to the kids' parents that  same day. He let them know that their children might come home with questions, having heard Rep. Schmidt indicate "that abortion involves the killing of a child before it is born."

Rep. Schmidt doesn't seem to think she did anything wrong at all. Her spokesman Bill Pfaff noted that her comments were "consistent with Catholic teaching." I guess that means that you can say whatever you want to young children, regardless of venue or parental wishes, as long as everyone in the room is of the same religious affiliation. It seems Pfaff and Schmidt assume that Catholics don't have the ability to make up their own minds on the issue of reproductive choice. Perhaps they've never heard of Catholics for Choice?

The unapologetic hypocrisy of this situation is astounding. Sex education is bad, but talking about controversial reproductive rights issues is a-okay. Personally, I think is unconscionable to deny people basic reproductive health information and then punish them (by denying them the right to choose) for making ill-informed sexual decisions. It is a system that sets people up to fail. So, in honor of Representative Schmidt's remarks, I say we all sign this petition asking Congress to support the Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act that would ensure comprehensive sexual education for students. Let Representative Schmidt and her colleagues know that, when it comes to kids, we want them to hear facts, not opinion.

Photo credit: s_mestdagh

Roxann MtJoy is a freelance writer who previously worked as a case manager at a domestic violence shelter. She is currently attending graduate school for theater in Mount Vernon, N.Y.

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