A Republican state assemblywoman in California has a theory for why her state is entering the fourth year of its most severe drought in recent memory–legalized abortion.
Shannon Grove has represented most of Bakersfield, one of the reddest areas of California, in the state assembly since 2010. Last week, she was one of the headliners at the California ProLife Legislative Banquet, held at Sacramento’s Grand Hotel. During her speech, she mentioned that Texas had also been in drought–until the legislature passed a bill that Grove called “the fetal pain bill.” She was referring to a bill that instituted some of the most draconian restrictions on abortion in the country, including a near-total ban on abortions after 20 weeks. According to Grove, on the very night Rick Perry signed this bill into law, it rained. “Now God has His hold on California,” Grove declared.
Riddle me this, Shannon. You mean to tell me that God told people across the country to buy almonds like crazy? Or that he told thousands of people to keep watering their lawns like crazy in the middle of a desert–and to whine about water restrictions? Or, as one of my Facebook friends mused, did he tell Nestl? and other bottled-water makers to keep production levels up? Those are just some of the things you’d have to believe in order to think this drought is in any way the product of divine wrath over abortion.
You’re probably wondering how any area of California could elect someone who could spew something this callous and ignorant. Well, as I mentioned earlier, Bakersfield is one of the few smudges of red in a state that has turned almost sapphire blue. Indeed, according to Daily Kos Elections’ extensive database of election data for state legislative districts, Grove’s district is THE reddest in California. Romney carried it by a punishing 64-34 margin in 2012–almost the inverse of Obama’s 60-37 statewide margin.
Not surprisingly for a district like this one, Grove is essentially a California version of Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann. For instance, she is a violent opponent of a bill that would make California one of the few states with meaningful regulations on crisis pregnancy centers. In a statement, Grove branded the bill as an attack on free speech. Never mind that these centers have been proven to scare women with information that’s not only inaccurate, but dangerous. Grove mentioned this bill in her speech, saying it would essentially force crisis pregnancy centers to give women a message supportive of abortion. The last time a government did that, she said, “they made people wear yellow stars.”
To give you an idea of how out there Grove’s comments were, even some of her supporters are collectively rolling their eyes. California ProLife Council chairman Brian Johnson said that Grove’s comments were “never said by me or the California ProLife Council.” Marylee Shrider of Right to Life of Kern County, who also attended the banquet, told The Bakersfield Californian that “we have not made a connection” between the drought and legalized abortion.
Grove herself maintained radio silence until being called out earlier this week on Facebook. In a reply, Grove at first seemed to hedge on whether the drought was divine retribution, but added that the Bible clearly shows there is “a consequence to man’s actions.”
I did some digging on Grove, and it turns out that while we may be diametrically opposed politically, we speak the same language–sort of. Grove is a Pentecostal; she attends an Assemblies of God church in Bakersfield. When I found this out, I could only shake my head. Being a charismatic/Pentecostal Democrat, I often read about ignorant and hateful comments from charismatic and Pentecostal politicians and think, “Sheesh, no wonder so many people think we have a screw loose somewhere.” People like Grove are why I have to spend a lot of time telling people that being Christian, let alone being Spirit-filled, doesn’t mean being closed-minded.
