Normally Red State Round Up is devoted to deconstructing problematic anti-choice legislation in primarily conservative states. We reflect on the content of the proposed harmful bills and how they would affect women and families within the state.

This week, I would like to address one politician from the state of Mississippi and his callous, misguided and downright damning language.

Phil Bryant, the governor of Mississippi, said on President of the American Family Association Tim Wildmon’s internet talk show that the Left’s “one mission in life is to abort children, is to kill children in the womb.”

This isn’t just political posturing, with the intention of bringing voters away from left-leaning politicians. No, this is inciting language. This is the sort of language meant to inspire irrational anger and fear. This sort of language is deliberately placed to incur violent fervor.

Bryant said “children.” He didn’t say fetus, which, thank you very much, is the correct term. He didn’t even say baby, which has been worn tired by the so-called “pro-life” movement. He said “children” to drive home the irrational and unfounded ideology that abortion is murder.

(Of course, this is on top of his recent support of a bill that essentially makes abortion inaccessible in his state.)

Now, I will explain how he is wrong. And why.

(As a disclaimer, the Left does not have a unilateral goal. Unfortunately that is one of the weaknesses of the Democratic Party and of liberals. But, I’ll focus on pro-choice activists here, for the sake of argument.)

Bryant, the pro-choice Left’s goal is to protect the rights and safety of marginalized groups. It is to empower women, not just in being able to make decisions about their own pregnancies, but also in taking care of their families, and in pursuing their careers.

I have cited this before, but I will cite it again. Women will get abortions regardless of what laws are in place. The unfortunate side of that is that when there are laws against abortion the rate of danger for women getting abortion is higher. If abortion is legal and accessible that means that women will be in less danger of dying from pregnancy and illegal abortions. Which, just so you know Bryant, is a good thing for women and families.

In the pro-choice movement, after hateful and misinformed language is used, we have seen clinics attacked and abortion providers assassinated. Bryant, it is not ok to throw around inciting language. That endangers people.

We don’t want violence. We want every woman in this country to have access to health care so that she pursues a healthy life and can contribute to a healthy society.

So Bryant, lay off the language, pay attention to women’s voices and science, and make sure women have access to necessary abortion care in your state.