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Colorado Republican Brutally Grilled By Local News Anchor: ‘Why Is Abortion Good For Your Girlfriend? Bad For Other Women?’ (www.mediaite.com)
submitted 5 months ago by DevCat@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world
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Colorado congressional candidate and sitting State Rep. Richard Holtorf (R) received a tough grilling this week at the hands of local 9News anchor Kyle Clark over his apparent hypocrisy when it comes to abortion rights.

Holtorf made headlines back in January when he defended paying for his girlfriend’s abortion, despite being an adamant pro-life lawmaker and abortion critic. “Anti-abortion GOP lawmaker praises the impact of the abortion he paid for,” read the headline of a local report by Clark from the beginning of the year.

To his credit, Holtorf sat down with Clark to discuss the issue.

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[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 189 points 5 months ago (2 children)

“Why do you seek to deny [the right to an abortion] to other women?” Clark pressed.

“Let me, let me — I don’t, I don’t,” Holtorf replied.

“You have voted to restrict abortion access,” Clark shot back.

“And I have. And I’m a pro-life person. I think you should try to choose life every time. But there are exceptions. And there are times when you need abortion. Abortion is a medical procedure,” declared Holtorf.

There are exceptions, like when it's inconvenient for the rich and powerful. Other people should (be compelled by law to) choose life every time.

[–] Kalkaline@leminal.space 91 points 5 months ago (1 children)

So, pro choice then. Come on "pro-life" people if you make exceptions you are pro choice. Abortion should be legal and accessible to women who need it, birth control too.

[–] eran_morad@lemmy.world 56 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yo, but how are we supposed to subjugate women?

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[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 138 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (4 children)

https://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2007/05/-the-only-moral-abortion-is-my-abortion/228662/

The Only Moral Abortion Is My Abortion.

reuse as needed.

Edit = Here’s a link to the author’s blog post: https://joycearthur.com/abortion/the-only-moral-abortion-is-my-abortion/

Thanks to Cosmic Turtle.

[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 53 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The Atlantic article is paywalled.

Here's a link to the author's blog post: https://joycearthur.com/abortion/the-only-moral-abortion-is-my-abortion/

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[–] Hobbes_Dent@lemmy.world 132 points 5 months ago (5 children)

“And I have. And I’m a pro-life person. I think you should try to choose life every time. But there are exceptions. And there are times when you need abortion. Abortion is a medical procedure,” declared Holtorf.

“Is one of the exceptions when Richard Holtorf is the father?” Clark demanded.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 148 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I'm a pro-life person ... there are times when you need an abortion.

That's pro-choice my man.

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[–] Lianodel@ttrpg.network 18 points 5 months ago

Holtorf: That's just a story. What's more important is the policy.

The policy is the whole fucking problem! His hypocrisy is an issue because, even with a complete lack of any ability to empathize with different people in different circumstances (which I assume as a default from right-wingers), he ought to understand this situation because it did happen to him. Yet he just doesn't care. Christ, what an asshole.

[–] asteriskeverything@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago (4 children)

This quote pissed me off. I'm fucking pro choice AF and this to me just says this interview wasn't anything but to make him feel and look stupid and strengthen identity politics. It is gross. A real thoughtful response would have GRASPED onto that admittance that it is a medical procedure and point out how the law has hindered necessary medical treatment for fear of courts deeming it "illegal" because now politicians with power and monetary motivations get to decide what is medically necessary and not anyone with education in medicine or science even.

Grab those "liberal" threads they tried to deny is reality and pull it to the forefront don't just butt heads with stupid fucking onelines that could make a headline.

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world 19 points 5 months ago (4 children)

That's pointless. You could get them to admit that pro-choice is the only fair and rational position, but then they'd just go and vote for more restrictions on abortion because that's what gets them re-elected.

You have to play hardball with the modern Republican party. Embarass them and energize Democrats to replace them. There's no reasoning with them.

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[–] ricecake@sh.itjust.works 9 points 5 months ago

I want to agree with you, but... We have decades of that just not working.

Anyone able to be persuaded by what you're describing would have been persuaded by the obvious hypocrisy of the answer itself.

Mockery is a rhetorical device that can be persuasive, and we don't always need to be nice to people when their open hypocrisy is destroying lives.

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[–] BigPotato@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

I mean, I'd rather he have no kids, so I agree that him being the father should be an exception.

[–] BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 131 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Because like most republicans, he's a hypocrite.

[–] Pistcow@lemm.ee 43 points 5 months ago (1 children)

All*

[–] BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca 19 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Nah, you always find the strange ones that actually practice what they preach. They're rare but they do exist.

[–] VeryVito@lemmy.ml 36 points 5 months ago

Well, they used to be rare. They’ve all been ousted, retired or lost their primaries by now. There are NO principaled GOP politicians at this point.

[–] Brokkr@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago (1 children)

John McCain died in 2018.

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[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 109 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I noticed this is not a Sinclair owned Network. I imagine that's the only reason they were able to ask this question.

[–] irreticent@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

For those unfamiliar with Sinclair, here is just one of their shitty tactics:

“This is extremely dangerous to our democracy.”

[–] Xtallll@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 5 months ago

There are no Sinclair networks in Colorado.

[–] MegaUltraChicken@lemmy.world 83 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Just want to say that Kyle Clark has been running a clinic on how to question conservatives.

[–] barsquid@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Could you like me to more about this? I did a quick search and didn't find relevant pages. Thought I'd ask if you have a direct link handy.

[–] jballs@sh.itjust.works 24 points 5 months ago

He was a moderator of a Republican debate the other day and ran it fantastically. Jimmy Kimmel picked it up because it was soooo good. Just look up Jimmy Kimmel Kyle Clark.

Side note, as a Coloradoan, I just want to say that Kyle Clark is a state treasure.

[–] knova@infosec.pub 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

He isn’t literally running a clinic (umm that I’m aware of). It’s a figure of speech.

Kyle Clark is the anchor for 9News here in the Denver metro area / Colorado

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[–] dingdongmetacarples@lemmy.world 74 points 5 months ago

More journalists like this please

[–] Nobody@lemmy.world 66 points 5 months ago

Kyle Clark for debate moderator 2024. No bullshit allowed.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 63 points 5 months ago

Damn, Kyle Clark, again? Why can't every journalist be like this? I mean, seriously.

[–] cosmicrookie@lemmy.world 53 points 5 months ago (1 children)

To his credit, Holtorf sat down with Clark to discuss the issue.

Why credit him for that? Trying to defend something so outrageous and hypocritic is no what I would think grands credit. Apologising and changing his opinion on abortion could though

[–] rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee 34 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Because usually these people choose to scamper away screaming incoherent obscenities and slurs. Progress is progress.

[–] Lianodel@ttrpg.network 9 points 5 months ago

Yeah, there's a gap between "basic integrity and human decency" and, far below it, "average Republican behavior." He went in between.

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 41 points 5 months ago

The only moral abortion is my abortion

[–] YurkshireLad@lemmy.ca 32 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Republicans will whine about the unfair treatment by the interviewer, deflecting from the utter hypocrisy of this vapid idiot.

[–] TheDoozer@lemmy.world 14 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's not even a "gotcha" question. He seems to be clear that his girlfriend's abortion allowed her to live her best life, and he supported it. So it stands to reason that if he's voting to restrict abortion, that there must be some line between his girlfriend's situation, which he supported, and what he votes to restrict. And asking that question is key to understanding his position (if giving him a whole HEAP of benefit-of-the-doubt he doesn't deserve).

If he wanted to maintain any kind of consistency, he could have simply said "it's legal right now, so it was her decision and she was able to get one, and if there is a financial burden in that I should take equal responsibility. I don't think it should be an option, but I can't make her choose not to when it isn't illegal." And that would be that. Even the "best life" thing could be squared away: "It's never good when a life that should come into this world never sees daylight, but there are, of course, some options that are available that wouldn't exist with a child, and she has those options. Many women have children unexpectedly and have rich, fulfilling lives, even if they weren't what they planned. What I meant by her best life is to say she could continue on the path she found to be best, before she found out she was pregnant."

I'm about as pro-choice as it gets and even I can come up with some shitty justifications for his bullshit hypocrisy. So it's not just that this guy is a hypocrite, he's also an idiot. If you're incapable of explaining your actions and voting, you have no business running for any political position.

[–] barsquid@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Repubs have difficulty with consistency and integrity because they value truth less than they value white supremacist hierarchy. It's a tricky question for them because they all implicitly understand that the laws are only requirements for poors at the bottom of the hierarchy. They also know they aren't supposed to say that out loud.

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[–] snooggums@midwest.social 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

"Having to answer for our hypocrisy is unfair!"

Republicans

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[–] pyre@lemmy.world 29 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

this guy comoderated the republican primary in Colorado as well and he was incredible. didn't take bullshit and put everyone (including and especially boebert) in their place. what a hero.

[–] RatsOffToYa@lemmy.world 28 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Catholic eh? Someone should contact his local church and remind the pastor of canon law:

"Canon 1397 §2 is a paragraph of the canon 1397 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law of the Catholic Church; the paragraph states: "A person who actually procures an abortion incurs a latae sententiae excommunication"."

He was excommunicated the second his payment went through.

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[–] veganpizza69@lemmy.world 27 points 5 months ago

Now this is what "I just wanna grill" should refer to.

[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 18 points 5 months ago

Because the unspoken right wing philosophy is "I get to tell you what to do; you didn't get to tell me what to do."

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

These people drive me crazy. I never had an abortion because I think it's creepy as fuck but I don't think my experience should define everyone else's, these men are evil. If a lady has to have an abortion, she has to. Nobody wants to, and they want to heap shame on top of that, but literally will NEVER have to make that choice because they are men. Fuck off.

[–] barsquid@lemmy.world 23 points 5 months ago (2 children)

That's the thing, isn't it? Literally nobody wants one. But Repubs keep telling lies like women choose abortion as their primary means of birth control.

[–] Starkstruck@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago

Fr I've seen so many people claim women will get em willy nilly. Like no, that shit is a last resort.

[–] Dantpool@kbin.melroy.org 11 points 5 months ago

Because it's never been about protecting the unborn for the actual politicians, it's always been about controlling women.

[–] scytale@lemm.ee 15 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Rules for thee, not for me.

[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

In groups to protect, outgroups to bind. That seems to be all conservatism is.

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[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 11 points 5 months ago

Rules for thee, but not for mee.

Ignore the man behind the curtain.

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