A Democratic lawmaker caused a stir on the House floor Wednesday when she said she was sick of hearing “so many sex-starved males” talk about abortion. The comment from California Rep. Norma Torres came during a debate on a spending bill for the Department of Health and Human Services. Rep. Ross Spano (R-Fla.) had blasted part of the proposed legislation, saying it weakens protections against federal tax dollars being used to fund the procedure. “For more than 40 years, this country operated under the policy that not one cent of taxpayer money can be used to fund abortion. We are a nation that deeply values religious liberty,” Spano said, according to The Hill. “It is tiring,” Torres shot back. “To hear from so many sex-starved males on this floor talk about a woman’s right to choose.” The comment elicited an audible response from the House floor, with some people groaning. Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.) got up to ask whether Torres would “like to change her last statement.” “Mr. Speaker, if it pleases my colleagues on the other side, I will withdraw my statement about sex-starved males on the floor,” she responded. Ultimately, she opted to change her remarks. “I will put it in different terms, it is tiring to be here on this floor or in committee as a woman to continue to be counseled about what types of affordable [care], whether it is family planning conversations that rightfully I deserve to have with my own doctor choosing when women want to have a family and to avoid pregnancy,” she said. “It is unfortunate that that is something that continues to be denied to American women day in and day out on this floor. And with that, I will reserve the balance of my time.”
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