Tennessee Pastor Ben Bailey of Gospel of Christ Ministries asserted over the weekend that women who had abortions should at the very least face fines and prison because that was the punishment for people who destroyed bald eagles and their eggs.
After asking Christians last week on his TV program how they would "feel" if they had been aborted by their parents, Bailey returned to the airwaves once again on Sunday to preach against reproductive rights for women.
The pastor opined to viewers that the "country is at war with God when it comes to abortion" because of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which found that women had a right to privacy.
"Let's think about how inconsistent this is," Bailey said. "For example, bald eagles and their eggs are protected by both state and federal laws. In fact, violators face penalties up to $25,000 or fines and prison -- between one and five years."
"In fact, if you break a bald eagle egg, you can get five years in prison," he continued. "And yet, you can abort a human fetus and get governmental approval? Does that make sense?"
Bailey seemed unable to wrap his head around the concept: "A person can be fined $20,000 or get five years in prison for breaking a bald eagle egg, and yet, nothing is done if we abort a fetus!"
"What's of more value? A bald eagle that doesn't have a soul or a human being that has a soul and that will one day live somewhere forever?" Bailey asked.
The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act passed in 1940 makes it illegal for humans to harm a bald eagle or its eggs. However, there are no known examples of female bald eagles being imprisoned or fined for choosing to destroy their own eggs.
