Alabama state Rep. John Rogers is facing great backlash over two different remarks made that began on Wednesday with a video of his argument against an anti-abortion bill claiming that “Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or you kill them later.”
Alabama State Rep. John Rogers (D) on abortion: “Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or you kill them later. You bring them in the world unwanted, unloved, you send them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now or you kill them later” pic.twitter.com/dxPg6X759h
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) May 1, 2019
Both Wednesday and Thursday, Rogers also engaged in some conspiracy theorizing, saying, “Most black folks have their kids. You know who have abortions? White folks. The majority of who have abortions now are white. It’s not about abortion, it’s about keeping a racial balance.”
“Blacks are having their babies, this is done by a lot of whites feeling they have to balance the scale … So there’s a move afoot to put more whites on this earth,” Rogers said.
The abortion rate is significantly higher among African Americans than it is among whites.
Some national Democrats began to distance themselves from Rogers on Thursday. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., who had actually been an attorney for Rogers for years, representing him as early as 1989 and as recently as 2010, called for Rogers to apologize.
The Alabama state House overwhelmingly voted to approve the measure that bans most abortions in the state.
Lawmakers in the House voted, 74-3, to approve the legislation after most Democrats walked out of the chamber, refusing to vote.
Rogers chastised his colleagues for their decision to walk out of the chamber, reported Yellow Hammer News.
“When you’re opposed to something, stand there and fight it,” Rogers said. “I’m not leaving and walking out… I’m not scared of a fight.”
According to Yellow Hammer, Rogers added: “I may bring a bill to force all men to have vasectomies. That would end this whole debate. There would be no more abortions and eventually no more voters.”
Rogers came under fire from conservatives for his extreme remarks, most notably from Donald Trump Jr. Move to the final page.