(Des Moines, IA) Today Iowa GOP Chairman A.J. Spiker issued a statement in response to a recent video taken at a Democratic rally in Des Moines in which abortion rights advocates offered a formal prayer asking God for the continued ability to provide abortions in the state. The prayer began, “We give thanks oh Lord for the doctors, both current and future who provide quality abortion care.” Two candidates for the Democratic nomination for Governor, Tyler Olsen and Jack Hatch, are both shown in the video with heads bowed and eyes closed as the prayer continues. The full video can be seen below.
Chairman A.J. Spiker issued the following statement:
“Praying to God and thanking Him for abortions, and then asking for his guidance to provide more abortions, is one of the most atrocious things I’ve ever heard of. And even more outrageous is that this “prayer” took place in the Iowa Capitol building. While there are different points of view on this issue, it’s tremendously difficult to think God would agree with the dismembering of babies, much less he would offer his blessings upon those who prayed for more abortions. I’ve seen no statements from Tyler Olsen or Jack Hatch stating their disapproval for this horrific and ill-timed prayer. If this is what Olsen and Hatch think will help them in their race to defeat Terry Branstad in 2014, then it shows just how unbelievably out of touch they are with everyday Iowans and how poorly they’re going to perform come election time. Holding a rally where the organizers pray to God asking Him to allow more abortions? That’s just sick, twisted and disgusting. There’s no other way to put it.”
Photo credit: Sandor Weisz via Flickr (CC-By-NC 2.0)