Congressman Steve King sparked anger and calls for his resignation Wednesday after saying humans might not exist if it were not for rape or incest while discussing anti-abortion legislation.
“THERE WOULD BE NO POPULATION IF RAPE WASN’T EXIST”
“What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled out anyone who was a product of rape or incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?” he said in Iowa, according to a video posted by the Des Moines Register newspaper. “Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages that happened throughout all these different nations, I know that I can’t say that I was not a part of a product of that.“
King’s comments were sharply criticized by other lawmakers, who called him a racist. “Steve King is a racist, a misogynist and a disgrace to the country. He should not be a member of the United States Congress,” presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said on Twitter.
In January, Republicans in the House of Representatives removed all of King’s committee assignments after he complained about the term “white supremacist” being considered offensive during an interview.