Republican Lawmaker Thinks Women Can Get Gynecological Exams by Swallowing Cameras

Don't Miss Sarah Jones's Essay On Kristi Noem Titled Predatory Is The Point On The Daily.

Nothing compares to Republican idiocy when they wander into that deep mystery of women’s reproductive health, especially if it means understanding a woman’s anatomy and how it functions.  Republicans have a well-documented record of ignorance on the subject of rape. We all remember Todd Aiken’s claim that women can’t get pregnancy during “forcible rape”.  Aiken doubled down on the absurdity when he claimed we have magical powers to “shut that whole thing down.”  Other Republicans called rape lemonade and a blessing.

At any rate, Republican ignorance combined with their on-going obsession with placing severe restrictions on women’s reproductive choices, is a serious matter.

Just when you think Republican ignorance has reached its all time low, another Republican politician comes along to prove Republicans can always take stupid and ignorant to new levels on a whole range of subjects.  Not only do they lack understanding of the fact that women do know they are carrying a future child when they are pregnant and put a great deal of thought into the decisions they make pertaining to their pregnancy.

Of course, Republicans always manage to find a new way to express their ignorance and stupidity that surpasses the previous.

Meet Idaho State Rep. Vito Barbieri, who it won’t surprise you to learn, is also a Republican.  During a discussion about comparisons between colonoscopies and telemedicine abortion procedures, Barbieri made comments that if not for the consequences would make a great SNL skit.

This discussion occurred during a committee hearing in which the members are considering a bill that will ban doctors from overseeing chemical abortions via video conferencing.

After claiming that colonoscopies can be done with drugs, Barbieri offered up the idea that women can have gynecological exams by swallowing a camera.  Fortunately, Dr. Julie Madsen, who was testifying before the House State Affairs Committee where this exchanged occurred, was there to give Barbieri some basic lessons on a woman’s anatomy.

Thanks to Raw Story, you can listen to the exchange between Rep. Barbieri and Dr. Madsen here.

Barbieri: “You mention the risk of colonoscopy; can that be done by drugs?”

Dr. Madsen: “It cannot be done by drugs.  It can, however, be done remotely, where you swallow a pill, and this pill has a little camera and it makes its way through your intestines, and those images are uploaded to a doctor who’s often thousands of miles away who then interprets that.”

Barbieri: “Can this same procedure be done in a pregnancy — swallowing a camera and helping the doctor determine what the situation is with the child?”

Dr. Madsen: “It cannot be done in pregnancy simply because, when you swallow a pill, it would not end up in the vagina.”

In earlier testimony, Dr. Madsen offered this criticism of a bill that is overly intrusive on women’s medical choice, but even goes to the point of dictating how doctors should practice medicine.

“I’m wary of a group of medical laypersons such as you specifying the nature of medicine, and that is exactly what this bill does. It specifies how a doctor provides medical care – including how the care is documented in the patient chart.”

Granted, Barbieri’s ignorance about women’s anatomy is the stuff of a SNL script.  The problem is when someone with that level of ignorance wants government to control women’s reproductive choices and dictate how her doctor provides reproductive care.

Adalia Woodbury

Former contributor.