Chelsea Roesch

During Wednesday’s hearing on Arizona Representative Trent Franks’s proposed 20-week abortion ban, Franks claimed “the incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low.” Using the same pseudo-scientific reasoning as Todd Akin (who infamously said pregnancy by “legitimate” rape was unlikely because “the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down”), Franks joined the ranks of conservative rape-deniers who privilege “fetal personhood” over a pregnant person’s autonomy.

Last week, Rep. Trent Franks (R-Arizona) introduced a bill that would prohibit abortion access nationwide after 20 weeks of pregnancy – with no exceptions for rape, incest, or health of the mother — based on the scientifically unsound claim that fetuses have developed the ability to feel pain by then.