A Catholic law professor was forced into an awkward situation in a House hearing when a Democratic congressman asked her for her opinion on birth control.
The hearing, held Wednesday, was about a Democrat-supported bill called the Women’s Health Protection Act that would throw out state restrictions on abortions. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, a Democrat from North Carolina, turned his attention to the professor in question, named Teresa Stanton Collett, who was one of the witnesses invited to testify in favor of abortion restrictions. Collett is director of the Pro-Life Center at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis and has identified as Catholic in her writings.
“We keep straying away from the whole conversation about contraception. Where are you on contraception? Do you support contraception as a means of birth control?” Butterfield asked.
Collett started to answer the question from the perspective of the Supreme Court’s decision on the matter, which stated women had the right to access birth control under the Constitution’s right to privacy. Butterfield interrupted her, saying, “I’m talking about Ms. Collett; where are you on contraception?”
Collett replied, “I am postmenopausal, congressman, so it’s really not a relevant question to me.”
Butterfield didn’t press the question, which he appeared to ask in order to glean her philosophical stances as to whether she believed other people should have access to contraception. “Well, I determine what’s relevant, and I would hope that you would answer the question, but let me continue,” he said. “Time is precious.”
