Pennsylvania State Rep. Wendy Ullman (D-Bucks) revealed the dehumanizing sentiment that drives the pro-abortion movement in a comment made last week regarding miscarriages.

Speaking on a bill before the Pennsylvania House Health Committee that would give parents of aborted or miscarried babies the decision to cremate or bury their child, Ullman remarked:

It refers specifically to the product of conception after fertilization which covers an awful lot of territory. I think we all understand the concept of the loss of a fetus, but we’re also talking about a woman who comes into a facility and is having cramps and — not to be, not to be, concrete — an early miscarriage is just some mess on a napkin.

Reactions to the callous comment came quickly:

To give her some credit, Ullman has since tweeted out an apology, stating:

In the discussion, which was on a bill that would require ritual burial or cremation following any miscarriage, I was in near-tears relaying a story of my family friend. This issue is intensely important to me, and that’s why I struggled for words. My words were poorly chosen, and I apologize. I remain steadfast that every single step of a medical process, including the handling of remains, should be decided by a patient and her doctor.

While I’m happy that Ullman had the decency to give at least a digital apology, her remarks are representative of the deeper and troubling sentiment that threads its way through the pro-abortion movement.

Unborn babies have been dehumanized as much as possible. A child with a heartbeat has been minimized to a “clump of cells.” Instead of thinking of two separate bodies, we constantly hear, “Her body, her choice.”

Because of this, Ullman’s remarks should come as no surprise. The comment dehumanized unborn children and was extremely insensitive, especially to those parents who have lost their children to miscarriages. However, as callous as it was, the statement was just the continuation of the sentiment that allows the fervent advocacy of abortion.

Even without the support of Ullman and other Democrats, the bill was passed through committee and will now come up to a full floor vote. But while a bill meant to dignify those who die before ever being born may indeed pass, we should all mourn the sentiment that allows it to be so strongly protested in the first place.

Photo credit: Quinn Dombrowski via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0