#SPEW RT @FixAaron: GOP delegate in Virginia says disabled kids are God's punishment for women who have had abortions. http://t.co/b8IwgK6g
— Tony DiLascio (@TADiLascio) September 17, 2012
This afternoon, The Washington Post’s Aaron Blake tweeted out a link to a story about a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates who, at an anti-Planned-Parenthood event, told his audience that disabled children are punishment for women who have had abortions:
[Bob Marshall] made that statement last Thursday at a press conference to oppose state funding for Planned Parenthood.
“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,” said Marshall, a Republican.
“In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There’s a special punishment Christians would suggest.”
Marshall’s remarks are certainly callous and appalling. For him to use innocent disabled children as political pawns is despicable, and it’s definitely newsworthy. At least it was, when the event took place well over two years ago. The WTOP article Blake linked to was originally published in February 2010, but for some reason, it’s dated September 10, 2012. It is unclear as to why or how the story resurfaced in this way.
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Blake, once he discovered his error, was sure to let his followers know that he’d been mistaken:
https://twitter.com/FixAaron/status/247810998038319104
https://twitter.com/FixAaron/status/247811193065066496
But not before media lapdog David Shuster seized the opportunity to fear-monger and peddle the story as if it were new:
VA Repub Lawmaker: Disabled kids are god's punishment for women who abort 1st pregnancy. http://t.co/yBHU3vHC @WTOP #neanderthal
— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) September 17, 2012
Others on the Left worked themselves into a frenzy:
"Del." @RobertGMarshall at it again ~ disabled kids are "punishment" for mom's previous abortions! http://t.co/g1KZxxhw He needs to go away!
— James Lewis (@JimmyCLewis) September 17, 2012
Wow: way to keep it up Republicans! http://t.co/Y1DFCUGm #GOP #romney #obama #dnc
— Galileo228 (@Galileo228) September 17, 2012
GOP Lawmaker: Disabled kids are god's punishment http://t.co/Z8UJhXWB via @WTOP #autism #cerebralpalsy #DownsSyndrome #WarOnWomen
— T Town (@TulsaTalkin) September 17, 2012
No words…MT @DavidShuster: VA Repub Lawmaker: Disabled kids are god's punishment for women who abort 1st pregnancy. http://t.co/Nbph40zE
— BosGrl (@lstef1983) September 17, 2012
https://twitter.com/cpmack/status/247788325782564864
VA Dels. getting crazy down in Richmond! Latest add to God punishment matrix? Disabled kids b/c of abortions. http://t.co/RN5X5kQn #p2 #tcot
— Max B. (@maxwellbennett) September 17, 2012
Hey, Del. Bob Marshall, how about you tell Mrs. Santorum that disabled kids are god's punishment http://t.co/ihUFFKgY
— (((myownpetard))) (@myownpetard) September 17, 2012
“@DavidShuster: VA Repub Lawmaker: Disabled kids are god's punishment for women who abort 1st pregnancy. http://t.co/RblG7gU4" Holy Fuck
— ?MountaineerFeevaDiva? (@Auntie_Allison) September 17, 2012
WTF, SCARY: GOP delegate in Virginia says disabled kids are God's punishment for women who have had abortions. http://t.co/1VkdHC8o
— thedurham (@thedurham) September 17, 2012
What the F! RT @DavidShuster VA Repub Lawmaker: Disabled kids are god's punishment for women who abort 1st pregnancy. http://t.co/tahjsSOd
— Jen (@jenmisstx) September 17, 2012
https://twitter.com/DanoG/status/247829315549532161
That's it, I've really had it with this #antichoice clowns! It's time to kick these fuckers to the curb: http://t.co/rB1skllv
— Tony DiLascio (@TADiLascio) September 17, 2012
Holy crap. We don't even have to try, the #GOP is showing us their distopian vision all by themselves: http://t.co/Cq7fkI1T
— Medusa sans Frontières (@OpheliaInWaders) September 17, 2012
Media outlets also picked up on the story, reporting it as current news — and then quietly deleted their posts once they realized their mistake:
Good of these folks to pull the story from their sites. It’s just too bad they couldn’t be bothered to issue actual corrections. Oh well. What else can you expect from “real reporters”?
Meanwhile, after sending his tweet out over three hours ago, David Shuster has yet to acknowledge any mistake on his part. Telling.
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