An United States politician, debating abortion legislation, revealed his confusion about female anatomy. Vito Barbieri, an Idaho lawmaker, asked a physician testifying before the House State Affairs Committee whether a woman could have a remote gynaecological exam by swallowing a tiny camera.
Dr Julie Madsen gently explained that no, that would not be possible, since items swallowed do not end up in the vagina.
The legislators were debating a bill that would ban doctors from prescribing abortion-inducing medication through telemedicine.
Barbieri later said that the question was rhetorical and intended to make a point.
Dr. Julie Madsen, a physician who said she has provided various telemedicine services in Idaho, was testifying in opposition to the bill. She said some colonoscopy patients may swallow a small device to give doctors a closer look at parts of their colon.
"Can this same procedure then be done in a pregnancy? Swallowing a camera and helping the doctor determine what the situation is?" Barbieri asked.
Madsen replied that would be impossible because swallowed pills do not end up in the vagina.
"Fascinating. That makes sense," Barbieri said, amid the crowd's laughter.
The committee approved the bill 13-4 on a party-line vote, where it now goes to the House floor for a full vote. Barbieri, who sits on the board of a crisis pregnancy centre in northern Idaho, voted in favour of the legislation.
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