Cawthorn sparks outrage after using phrase 'earthen vessels' in anti-abortion speech
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) has come under fire after commenting on abortion during a House floor speech Friday, Daily Kos reports.
The 26-year-old pro-Trump congressman — who has a history of inflammatory rhetoric and has been accused of sexually harassing college classmates — began with a thought experiment in which he compared a fetus being aborted to a Polaroid picture being ripped up before it could fully develop.
This analogy, borrowed from anti-abortion activist Seth Gruber, prompted HuffPost writer Sara Boboltz to pen a piece headlined "Madison Cawthorn Thinks Your Pregnancy Is A Polaroid Or A Sunset Or Something."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cawthorn's next argument sparked even more outrage. "Precious works of our creator, formed and set apart, meet death before they breathe life," he said. "Eternal souls woven into earthen vessels sanctified by almighty God and endowed with the miracle of life are denied their birth." Author, diplomat, and Oxford academic Dr. Jennifer Cassidy tweeted a clip of Cawthorn's remarks, which soon went viral. In her post, Cassidy wrote that Cawthorn had compared American women to earthen vessels.
Several other Twitter users agreed with her interpretation.
This interpretation, however, is difficult to square with context of the biblical passage to which Cawthorn was alluding. He appears to have been quoting 2 Corinthians, an early Christian letter generally attributed to the apostle Paul. In the New King James translation, the passage reads, "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us."
Since Paul includes himself as one of the "earthen vessels," the term cannot refer solely to women. Many biblical scholars view it as a reference to the physical bodies humans possess. With this interpretation in mind, it seems Cawthorn, a vocal evangelical Christian, was using "earthen vessels" to refer not to the mother's body, but to the body of the unborn baby.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Today's political cartoons - February 1, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - broken eggs, contagious lies, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 humorously unhealthy cartoons about RFK Jr.
Cartoons Artists take on medical innovation, disease spreading, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Brodet (fish stew) recipe
The Week Recommends This hearty dish is best accompanied by a bowl of polenta
By The Week UK Published
-
Trump says 25% tariffs on Canada, Mexico start Feb. 1
Speed Read The tariffs imposed on America's neighbors could drive up US prices and invite retaliation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump blames diversity, Democrats for DC air tragedy
Speed Read The president suggested that efforts to recruit more diverse air traffic controllers contributed to the deadly air crash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
White House withdraws Trump's spending freeze
Speed Read President Donald Trump's budget office has rescinded a directive that froze trillions of dollars in federal aid and sowed bipartisan chaos
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OpenAI announces ChatGPT Gov for government use
Speed Read The artificial intelligence research company has launched a new version of its chatbot tailored for the US government
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Caroline Kennedy urges Senate to reject RFK Jr.
Speed Read Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s cousin said he should not become President Donald Trump's health secretary, calling his medical views 'dangerous'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
GOP senator reneged on voting against Hegseth
Speed Read North Carolina senator Thom Tillis provided the deciding vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump sparks chaos with spending, aid freezes
Speed Read A sudden freeze on federal grants and loans by President Donald Trump's administration has created widespread confusion
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump feuds with Colombia on deportee flights
Speed Read Colombia has backed off from a trade war with the U.S., reaching an agreement on accepting deported migrants following tariff threats from President Donald Trump
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published