Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The popular reality show "Duck Dynasty" has captured the nation by storm. And one of the show's stars has thrown his name into the ring of those against abortion.
Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson gave a speech before an audience in Pennsylvania back in January, and a video of that speech has since gone viral. Robertson can be seen speaking about God, the Founding Fathers and his opinion on abortion.
Holding a Bible in his hand, Robertson talks about being with George Washington and other founding members of the United States. He says the founders believed that God was involved in the founding of the country; that the Bible was "the rock the republic rests on." He then asks the audience, "Who you with?"
Robertson goes on to talk about the foundation of the Declaration of Independence, which states that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
He says the acceptance of abortion is proof that the United States has strayed from its founding principles, namely by essentially removing "life" from the founding document.
You have a God-given right to live. And of all places, inside your mother.
–Phil Robertson
"It didn't take us 150 years, we start ripping babies out of wombs," he said. "They should have listened to Thomas Jefferson.
"Listen, from the time you started inside your mother's womb, Thomas Jefferson had it right," Robertson added, "you have the God-given right to life for crying out loud. You're this long (pointing to his hand). You're a week old inside your mother. They suck you out of there when you're about like that. You wouldn't be here tonight.
"And we debate whether it's a — some woman's right to tear you out of there a piece at a time! C'mon! You have a God-given right to live. And of all places, inside your mother," he said. "What in the world happened to us?"
Robertson ends by saying the country needs more people like George Washington, Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson.
