An effort to screen pregnant women for HIV in order to reduce the spread of the virus among babies didn’t get Colorado state Sen. Dave Schultheis’ vote. In the Republican’s own controversial words, that’s because “[t]his stems from sexual promiscuity for the most part, and I just can’t go there. … We do things continually to remove the consequences of poor behavior, unacceptable behavior, quite frankly.”

Needless to say, Scultheis’ daft comments have prompted outrage.

State Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry said of the fracas caused by his GOP colleague, “It’s not my job to go around and censor people and tell them what to say.” And for that, he has the thanks of the Democratic Party.

Rocky Mountain News via Political Wire:

Sen. Dave Schultheis, of Colorado Springs, on Wednesday opposed a bill requiring all pregnant women to be tested for HIV, so that if they are infected their babies can be treated to prevent the transfer of the virus.

“This stems from sexual promiscuity for the most part, and I just can’t go there,” he said.

“We do things continually to remove the consequences of poor behavior, unacceptable behavior, quite frankly. I’m not convinced that part of the role of government should be to protect individuals from the negative consequences of their actions.”

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