The lawmakers were arguing on the US House floor about a bill that aims to prohibit “the performance of an abortion on a viable or potentially viable unborn child solely because of a diagnosis of either Down Syndrome or a genetic abnormality, or has the potential for a genetic abnormality.”
The bill makes no exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
“Is rape the will of God?” Democratic Representative Cory Williams asked Republican George Faught, who defended the bill.
“If you read the Bible, there’s actually a couple circumstances where that happened and the Lord uses all circumstances,” Faught replied. “I mean, you can go down that path, but it’s a reality, unfortunately.”
“Is incest the will of God?” Williams asked.
“Same answer,” Faught replied. “Doesn’t deal with this bill.”
“You won’t make any exceptions for rape, you won’t make any exceptions for incest in this and you are proffering divine intervention as the reason why you won’t do that,” Williams said. “I think it is very important. This body wants to know, myself personally, whether you believe rape and incest are actually the will of God.”
Faught’s response to that question now has him facing criticism from pro-choice pundits and commentators.
“It’s a great question to ask, and, obviously if it happens in someone’s life, it may not be the best thing that ever happened. But, so you’re saying that God is not sovereign with every activity that happens in someone’s life and can’t use anything and everything in someone’s life, and I disagree with that.”
When further questioned about his beliefs by local station KFOR, Faught did not back down.
“Life, no matter how it is conceived, is valuable and something to be protected. Let me be clear, God never approves of rape or incest,” the station quoted him as saying. “However, even in the worst circumstances, God can bring beauty from ashes.”
