On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump gave his State of the Union address. Then Stacey Abrams gave the Democratic response. Then Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) gave his own response, echoing his socialist talking points and slamming Trump on every issue under the sun. When Sanders launched into an attack on the pro-life movement, however, his voice became hoarse.

“Tonight, Donald Trump repeated some of the most extreme anti-woman attacks coming from the far-Right,” Sanders declared, apparently oblivious to the fact that when the president celebrated high female employment, even Democrats cheered.

“At a time when we see an unprecedented and coordinated attack against a woman’s right to choose, it is incredibly important that we fight,” Sanders said, his voice starting to break up, “to make sure [pause] that every woman in this country has the right to control her own body.” As the senator delivered these words, his voice became more hoarse and gravelly. He took a break from his speech in order to drink some water.

Sanders went on and on, speaking for nearly 30 minutes — far longer than Abrams’s 10-minute response. Perhaps if he had not been so long, he would not have needed this drink of water.

It seems fitting, however, that he took this drink while discussing the issue of abortion. In recent weeks, Democrats have grown increasingly radical on abortion, with New York passing a law that enables abortion up until the moment of birth and Virginia considering a similar law. Indeed, Gov. Ralph Northam (D-Va.) endorsed infanticide in his remarks last week.

When it comes to abortion, most Americans identify as pro-choice, but they oppose abortion in later stages of pregnancy. The New York and Virginia laws are out of step with the American people on these issues, and Northam’s comments were beyond the pale.

Trump’s remarks about abortion in the State of the Union had focused on Northam’s radical statements. Perhaps Sanders unconsciously knew that he was taking an extremely radical position on these issues, and so his very voice rebelled against him.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.