It’s not surprising that a Republican state legislator from Mississippi would try to pass a bill banning abortions the moment a heartbeat is detected.

It’s a little surprising, though, that State Rep. Robert Foster would make his argument for passing this bill so explicitly about religion, as if we’re a Christian theocracy that must be governed according to his interpretation of the Bible.

In a letter sent to Mississippi’s Governor, Lt. Governor, and all members of the State House — which Foster also posted on Facebook — he explained his (lack of secular) justification for this law.

… Conservative state legislatures have been hesitant to defy tyranny for many years. Most Christians in this country have been reluctant to fight against evil in my lifetime, although there is as much to fight for today as there ever has been. The soul of our nation hangs in the balance as we sit on our hands and complain about losing our country, all the while our enemies are mocking us and not just defying our Constitution, a set of laws created by man, but mocking and defying God. I am not one to pick a fight, this fight began a long time before I ever got here. I firmly believe in the Constitution and the rule of law, which I have sworn an oath to uphold. It is our duty as men and women of Christ to stand in the gap between tyranny and evil and those who are unable to defend themselves. There is one set of laws above all others and that is God’s law. Nine judges cannot override God’s law. They may defy it, but they cannot override it. I for one will no longer sit idly by as an elected State Representative for MS and do nothing while judge/s act as if they are more Supreme than God Almighty. I am calling on the Mississippi Legislature to pass a law outlawing abortion after a heartbeat is detected, with the only exception being if the mother’s life is at risk. Some things are worth getting sued over and worth fighting for. No matter how many judges pass injunctions or what fines or penalties they try and threaten us with we must stay strong in the face of evil and defy their orders to allow abortion to take place in our state. The time to act is now. Young women should not be faced with this burdensome decision any longer, it should simply not be an option. We must destroy evil before it destroys our nation and our children’s future. We must uphold God’s law in our land as well as the Constitution — for the latter cannot exist without the blessing of the first. If it is the last thing that I do as a state Legislator I will see to it that every last abortion clinic in this state is closed. In His Service,

Robert Foster

Did you catch the part about the mother’s life being the only exception to his desired law?

That means he doesn’t care how women got pregnant. If a woman’s pregnancy is the result of rape, Foster wants to force her to have that baby. Because Jesus. As if the trauma of the act wasn’t enough.

Does he expect everyone to thank him for trying to make sure women don’t have to make a “burdensome decision” that he believes he’s qualified to make for them?

Foster has a habit of inflicting his brand of Christian abuse upon other people. He proposed a piece of legislation earlier that year that would have given parents the option of not vaccinating their children even if they attend public school. (That one died in committee.) He also sponsored a bill revising the methods for killing people via the death penalty. (That one was signed into law.)

In case you’re wondering, Mississippi has only one abortion clinic. It the one where Dr. Willie Parker, one of the only providers in the state, works. (He’s a Christian who has received a lot of well-deserved positive coverage.)

But that single location is what Foster wants to shut down. The legislature hasn’t passed a law banning all abortion presumably because they know it would lose a legal challenge, but they’ve done as much as they can to restrict abortion access to women across the state.

It’s still not good enough for the Christian legislator who wants to make sure women who are raped suffer even more.

(Image via Facebook. Thanks to Jay for the link)

