|
 Gordon Klingenschmitt, a Republican member of the state House of
Representatives from Colorado Springs, made the remarks on his "Pray
in Jesus Name" satellite television show.
"This is the curse of God upon America for our sin of not protecting
innocent children in the womb," said Klingenschmitt, a minister and
retired U.S. Navy chaplain.
"And part of that curse for our rebellion against God as a nation is
that our pregnant women are ripped open."
He was referring to the case of Michelle Wilkins, a 26-year-old
Colorado woman whose fetus was cut from her last week by a woman who
lured the victim using an online ad for baby clothes.
Wilkins survived the attack, but the fetus, described by the coroner
as a "34-week gestation female," died.
 The woman accused in the attack, 34-year-old Dynel Lane, is being
held in the Boulder County jail on a $2 million bond and is due in
court on Friday for the formal filing of charges.
Police said Lane admitted to detectives that she "removed" the fetus
from Wilkins.
The Denver Post newspaper, citing an official with the Boulder
County District Attorney's Office, reported that Lane would not face
murder charges in the case.
Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, the Democratic speaker of the Colorado
House of Representatives, said Klingenschmitt's words were
"reprehensible and disrespectful."
"Given the sensitive nature of the events, as well as respect for
the victim and her family, I'm not going to comment any further,"
Hullinghorst said.
[to top of second column] |
Fellow Republicans distanced themselves from Klingenschmitt's
remarks.
"Gordon has the right to exercise his First Amendment protection of
free speech," state Republican Party Chairman Steve House said in a
statement. "Gordon does not speak on behalf of the ... party and to
suggest otherwise would be inaccurate and dishonest."
Klingenschmitt, when reached late on Thursday, said his charity had
donated $1,000 to a fundraising campaign for Wilkins on
gofundme.com.
"I wear two hats, and what I do on Sunday is separate from what I do
during the week at the legislature," Klingenschmitt said by phone.
The victim's relatives said in a statement on the gofundme.com page
that she is out of the hospital and in a "safe place" while she
recovers.
(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Eric
Beech)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
