Idaho state Sen. Dan Foreman, a Republican, yells at a group of college students at the state capital on Feb. 19. (Photo: Paul Dillon/Facebook)
Watch: 'Completely Unhinged' Idaho State Senator Shouts at Birth Control Advocates About Abortion
"He was being a bully."
A Republican state senator from Idaho is facing intense criticism on a national scale after videos were posted to social media that show him shouting about abortion to college students who were at the state capital to advocate for more access to birth control and improved sexual education.
In a hallway at the Idaho state capital building on Monday, state Sen. Dan Foreman--who abruptly canceled his morning meeting with the students ahead of the incident--shook his finger while declaring "abortion is murder" and "stay out of my office," and threatened to involve the state police if they attempted to have another conversation with him.
The students, who are part of Generation Action at the University of Idaho, are calling for the state's legislature to pass a pair of bills (pdf) that would update the state's decades-old sexual education standards, and ensure health insurance plans cover a 12-month supply of contraception, so that women don't experience negative side effects and increased pregnancy risks associated with inconsistent birth control.
About a dozen students had traveled for several hours to meet with multiple state lawmakers, including Foreman, on Monday. They said that while some other elected officials they met with did not agree with their positions, Foreman's colleagues all respectfully listened to their constituents' comments.
"Even if you disagree with what we have to say, there's no excuse for that kind behavior. He was being a bully."
--Paul Dillon,
Planned Parenthood
Paul Dillon, the public affairs director for Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho, filmed the exchange and posted it to his personal Facebook page. In an interview with The Associated Press, Dillon described Foreman as "completely unhinged."
"Even if you disagree with what we have to say, there's no excuse for that kind behavior," Dillon added. "He was being a bully."
Following the incident, an unverified and now-deleted Twitter account allegedly associated with Foreman tweeted that the students should talk to Democratic state Sen. Maryanne Jordan about "killing babies." Although the account was briefly reactivated to claim that it was a parody profile and not controlled by Foreman, Jordan has filed a formal ethics complaint against the GOP lawmaker.
Foreman's behavior generated swift backlash on social media, with some critics pointing to a previous outburst by the state lawmaker last fall:
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
A Republican state senator from Idaho is facing intense criticism on a national scale after videos were posted to social media that show him shouting about abortion to college students who were at the state capital to advocate for more access to birth control and improved sexual education.
In a hallway at the Idaho state capital building on Monday, state Sen. Dan Foreman--who abruptly canceled his morning meeting with the students ahead of the incident--shook his finger while declaring "abortion is murder" and "stay out of my office," and threatened to involve the state police if they attempted to have another conversation with him.
The students, who are part of Generation Action at the University of Idaho, are calling for the state's legislature to pass a pair of bills (pdf) that would update the state's decades-old sexual education standards, and ensure health insurance plans cover a 12-month supply of contraception, so that women don't experience negative side effects and increased pregnancy risks associated with inconsistent birth control.
About a dozen students had traveled for several hours to meet with multiple state lawmakers, including Foreman, on Monday. They said that while some other elected officials they met with did not agree with their positions, Foreman's colleagues all respectfully listened to their constituents' comments.
"Even if you disagree with what we have to say, there's no excuse for that kind behavior. He was being a bully."
--Paul Dillon,
Planned Parenthood
Paul Dillon, the public affairs director for Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho, filmed the exchange and posted it to his personal Facebook page. In an interview with The Associated Press, Dillon described Foreman as "completely unhinged."
"Even if you disagree with what we have to say, there's no excuse for that kind behavior," Dillon added. "He was being a bully."
Following the incident, an unverified and now-deleted Twitter account allegedly associated with Foreman tweeted that the students should talk to Democratic state Sen. Maryanne Jordan about "killing babies." Although the account was briefly reactivated to claim that it was a parody profile and not controlled by Foreman, Jordan has filed a formal ethics complaint against the GOP lawmaker.
Foreman's behavior generated swift backlash on social media, with some critics pointing to a previous outburst by the state lawmaker last fall:
A Republican state senator from Idaho is facing intense criticism on a national scale after videos were posted to social media that show him shouting about abortion to college students who were at the state capital to advocate for more access to birth control and improved sexual education.
In a hallway at the Idaho state capital building on Monday, state Sen. Dan Foreman--who abruptly canceled his morning meeting with the students ahead of the incident--shook his finger while declaring "abortion is murder" and "stay out of my office," and threatened to involve the state police if they attempted to have another conversation with him.
The students, who are part of Generation Action at the University of Idaho, are calling for the state's legislature to pass a pair of bills (pdf) that would update the state's decades-old sexual education standards, and ensure health insurance plans cover a 12-month supply of contraception, so that women don't experience negative side effects and increased pregnancy risks associated with inconsistent birth control.
About a dozen students had traveled for several hours to meet with multiple state lawmakers, including Foreman, on Monday. They said that while some other elected officials they met with did not agree with their positions, Foreman's colleagues all respectfully listened to their constituents' comments.
"Even if you disagree with what we have to say, there's no excuse for that kind behavior. He was being a bully."
--Paul Dillon,
Planned Parenthood
Paul Dillon, the public affairs director for Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho, filmed the exchange and posted it to his personal Facebook page. In an interview with The Associated Press, Dillon described Foreman as "completely unhinged."
"Even if you disagree with what we have to say, there's no excuse for that kind behavior," Dillon added. "He was being a bully."
Following the incident, an unverified and now-deleted Twitter account allegedly associated with Foreman tweeted that the students should talk to Democratic state Sen. Maryanne Jordan about "killing babies." Although the account was briefly reactivated to claim that it was a parody profile and not controlled by Foreman, Jordan has filed a formal ethics complaint against the GOP lawmaker.
Foreman's behavior generated swift backlash on social media, with some critics pointing to a previous outburst by the state lawmaker last fall: