NC Democrats want apology over 'Church of Satan' remark during abortion debate
Two Republican state lawmakers recently lost leadership roles due to personal attacks targeting Democrats on the House floor. One has apologized. The other has not — to the consternation of Democrats who publicly called on him to do so Wednesday, to no avail.
During a heated debate over abortion earlier this month, Democratic Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams mentioned her faith in the church while telling the story of her own decision years ago to get an abortion. That led Republican Rep. Keith Kidwell to quip to nearby staffers that she must have meant the "Church of Satan." WRAL News was the first to report on his comments.
On Wednesday Rep. Joe John, D-Wake, gave a speech on the House floor asking Kidwell to apologize. Kidwell remained silent.
"That silence has been deafening and, in my opinion, hangs over this chamber like a dark cloud,” John said.
Asked after the House session if he’d like to respond to the Democrats’ complaints about his lack of an apology, Kidwell walked away without responding.
Kidwell is the lead sponsor of a bill, which has not gotten a vote, that would ban abortions in nearly all circumstances and could put violators in prison for life.
His lack of response stands in contrast with the other GOP lawmaker who also came under fire for controversial remarks but did quickly apologize.
The day after Kidwell’s quip, in a debate over a plan to expand funding for private school vouchers, Republican Rep. Jeff McNeely questioned whether Democratic Rep. Abe Jones, a retired judge, would’ve gotten into Harvard University if he hadn’t been Black and an athlete.
McNeely apologized to Jones, publicly and in private, following outcry at the comment.
Democrats said last week they were pleased to see Kidwell and McNeely lose their House GOP leadership roles as deputy whips, as a consequence. But they remained frustrated over Kidwell’s lack of an apology.
Staton-Williams didn't respond to a request for further comment on Wednesday. On Thursday, after an initial version of this story was published, her office said she still hadn't received an apology.
"I thought it was unfortunate, especially as a person of faith," Staton-Williams said in an interview last week. "That, because how I believe and how I feel and how I live my faith don’t align with him, that something like that was said."
WRAL state government reporter Travis Fain contributed to this article.
