Republican senator compares pregnant women to sea turtles amid abortion debate

A Republican senator raised eyebrows on Tuesday when he compared women to sea turtles, as part of an unusual argument against protecting abortion rights in the United States.

The remarks from Steve Daines, who represents Montana, follows news earlier this month that the opinion of the US Supreme Court on a Mississippi legal case could overturn Roe v Wade – the landmark precedent from 1973 which legalised abortion nationwide.

A leaked draft opinion from the court on the Mississippi case, which challenges a state law banning most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, was first published by Politico and states “Roe … must be overruled”.

“It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives,” it adds.

President Joe Biden took to Twitter not long after the leak to criticise the expected decision, and said a women’s right to choose is “fundamental”.

“Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned. We will be ready when any ruling is issued,” he wrote.

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But ahead of the official opinion being published, the Senate Democrats have pushed for a vote on Wednesday on the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would protect abortion rights in law.

This brings us to Mr Daines’ comments in the Senate on Tuesday.

He told fellow senators: “If you’re to take and destroy the eggs of a sea turtle … the criminal penalties are severe: up to $1,000 fine or a year in prison. Well, why?

“Why do we have laws in place to protect the eggs of a sea turtle or the eggs of eagles? Because, when you destroy an egg, you’re killing a pre-born baby sea turtle, or a pre-born baby eagle!

“Yet when it comes to a pre-born human baby, rather than a sea turtle, that baby will be stripped of all protections in all 50 states under the Democrats’ Bill that we’re voting on tomorrow [Wednesday]."

“Is that the America the left wants?”

The bizarre analogy was promptly ripped apart by Twitter users – many of whom pointed out the shocking fact that humans aren’t endangered species:

When you have to resort to sea animals and birds to make your pro-life argument, that’s when you know it’s a turtle disaster.

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