Earlier this month, South Carolina state Rep. Neal Collins (R) fought back tears as he explained that he “did not sleep” after learning that an anti-abortion law he’d voted for had put a pregnant 19-year-old in medical danger. On Tuesday, Collins took to the state House floor to vote against a near-total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. That bill failed. Hours later, a revised version of the bill—with an exception for pregnancies up to 12 weeks that result from rape or incest—was presented for a vote, and this time, Collins gave it the thumbs-up. In a lengthy Facebook post explaining his decision, the state congressman wrote that he knew “no one would cheer a nuanced position” and surrendered himself “humbly [as] your punching bag.” Not one to lie down without a fight, though, Collins bared his teeth in response to at least one Twitter user who accused him of hypocrisy. He then went on to plead for courtesy with another user who expressed her disappointment in him, saying, “I hear your anger… We can all still be civil.”
