Mo. Rep.: An Abortion Is a Big Choice, Like Buying a Car or Carpeting

Missouri State Rep. Chuck Gatschenberger wants to require women to undergo an ultrasound and wait three days before getting an abortion because choosing whether or not to terminate a pregnancy is a huge decision. Gatschenberger—who is sponsoring a bill that mandates such a requirement—has bought cars before, so he knows what it’s like to make a major life choice. “I have to look at it, get information about it, maybe drive it, you know, a lot of different things. Check prices,” the Republican lawmaker was filmed saying while advocating for his bill at the Missouri House’s Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Committee this week. "There’s a lot of things that I do, putting into a decision. Whether that’s a car, whether that’s a house, whether that’s any major decision that I put in my life. Even carpeting.” When another Democratic Rep. Stacey Newman called out the car comparison as “extremely offensive to every single woman sitting in here, whether they’re pregnant or whether they’re not,” Gatschenberger apologized but later reiterated, “I’m just saying this is a life-ending decision. You should think about it.”