U.S. Rep. Steve King told the Westside Conservative Club Wednesday that humanity might not exist if not for rape and incest throughout human history.
“What if we went back through all the family trees and just pulled out anyone who was a product of rape or incest? Would there be any population of the world left if we did that?” he said in Urbandale, Iowa. “Considering all the wars and all the rapes and pillages that happened throughout all these different nations, I know that I can’t say that I was not a part of a product of that.”
The Catholic lawmaker argued that the bad circumstances of a baby’s conception does not negate their right to life.
“It’s not the baby’s fault for the sin of the father, or of the mother,” he said.
The nine-term congressman has a history of making controversial comments.
Later in January, the House passed a condemnation of white supremacy and white nationalism.
While he does not support the “odious ideology” of white nationalism, King said he supports his defense of the West, calling the United States “the flagship for Western civilization.”
King sparked bipartisan backlash in January for questioning during an interview with The New York Times how terms such as “white supremacist” and “white nationalist” became “offensive.”
The comments were quickly denounced and House Republicans responded by removing King from his positions on the House Judiciary, Agriculture and Small Business committees.
