Theology in the Raw - S2 Ep1115: Is the Abortion Industry Systemically Racist? Treneé McGee

Episode Date: September 28, 2023

In November 2019, Treneé won a seat as Councilwoman of the 7th District of West Haven City Council, becoming the youngest person to hold this position. She currently serves as a State Representative elected to represent the 116th District in West Haven, CT. She is a member of the Education Committee, Environment Committee, and Veterans and Military Affairs Committee. Treneé is also an advocate for life--all of life--and is an outspoken activist for the life of the unborn. And, as you'll hear in this podcast conversation, she believes that the abortion industry is systemically racist.  Watch her short speech at the March for Life rally in January, 2023: https://youtu.be/PB0-x9hfvsc?si=Bn0Fbuu_PynLPhXA  Learn more about Treneé from her website: https://www.treneemcgee.com  If you would like to support Theology in the Raw, please visit patreon.com/theologyintheraw for more information!

Hello, friends. Welcome back to another episode of Theology in the Raw. My guest today is Trené McGee. Trené is a state representative representing the 116th District in West Haven, Connecticut. She is a Democrat and a Christian, and she is pro-life. And so that makes for an interesting combination. And so that's what we talk about on this podcast. We talk about her pro-life position and how she sees the abortion industry as systemically racist. So that's where we're going, folks. So buckle up, get ready for a lively Theology of Journal conversation. And please welcome to the show for the first time, the one and only Trené McGee. Trené, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule as a politician to come on Theology

in the Raw. I really appreciate it. Of course. Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here. And she's so busy that she's doing this on her phone in her car. Yeah. In one of those moments where your schedule just flies out the window and you have a last-minute meeting. I will try to keep this under an hour because I know you have places to go for people to see. So let's jump right in.

For those who don't know who you are, tell us a bit about yourself. You can start however early you want, whatever details you want to see. So let's jump right in. For those who don't know who you are, tell us a bit about yourself. You can start however early you want, whatever details you want to give. My name is Trenay McGee, and I am currently a state legislator for the state of Connecticut. I serve and represent the 116, which is West Haven. Most people know New Haven because of Yale, so I am in between New Haven and another area, Milford. And I did not think I'd be in politics. I started acting when I was three years old and I started professionally working as a kid. And then I went to college for acting and I kind of hit this.

I think all college students hit this place of, is this something I actually want to do? Or do I want to go in another direction? And that's kind of where I was. I had really immersed myself in college into many leadership opportunities. And so I was a part of student government. So I kind of liked that space, but was still clinging to what I had always known. And when I graduated, I worked for a theater and I was seeking representation from agencies. And then around the beginning of 2019, I just felt God just say, you know, this is kind of not where I want you to be right now. And that was really tough because I really, I was working to get closer to something I've always wanted, you know? Um, and then around that time I started to really seek God and fast and pray. And I was fasting, we were doing the Daniels fast with my church. So it was like, I had a lot of support and then the door for politics opened

up and I was asked to be on my town's town committee. And at that time I was like, you know, I don't know if I could really commit to that. I've never done that before, but I knew that it was where God was leading me. I just knew it. It came too quick, too easy. The pieces were all in place for me to deny, like, oh, this isn't, you know, this isn't God, you know? and so i ultimately ended up running for the city council and then like like less than two years later i was running for the state house um so i know that's kind of like that's like the you know i know that's kind of like a a short story a long story made short um but that was what the journey was like for me to get to the capital

that's a whirlwind that i mean maybe it just seems those seem to happen so quickly is that does it feel like a big whirlwind to you or oh yes oh yes it happened very quick it happened very quickly and at the same time in my personal life i had gone through like, you know, a breakup and, you know, I, there were very close friends I had that I just, we were, I felt, I physically felt like things were just ripping away from my body, you know? And so I, things would be extrapolated from my life. And at that time I didn't know, oh, this is, you know, where God is leading me and these people can't come and that's okay. You know, there's, there's people there for a season. these people can't come and that's okay. You know, there's, there's people there for a season. So it was definitely a physically, it was a physical, emotional and spiritual whirlwind. Cause I had to trust God in a way that I had never really exercised before because I was going into a space

I did not go to school for, you know, I did not feel qualified for, you know, until God was like, well, if I'm leading you there, you know, yeah, you're ready. So you weren't naturally into politics? Is that something that you've kind of gotten into more recently that wasn't always in the back of your mind at all? You know, it was never in the back of my mind as something I'd be doing. But I always loved government.

It was my favorite subject in school, history, government. I remember enjoying Christiane Amanp, you know, some of the things that I're purposed for, it just aligns. It's just alignment, true alignment. Because in this space, I feel like I'm fulfilling more of a purpose in my life than I think I'd be doing, you know, I'd be on set right now. So I came across your name recently, really, when our mutual friend Justin Giboney told me about you. So like we all do today, I start Googling around. The first thing I saw was this three minute short speech you gave at the, um, the March for life rally in January, 2023. Um, you're, you're a Democrat politician speaking at a pro-life rally. So that alone, I was like,

whoa, what's going on here. But then I, um, Oh my word. Those three minutes were absolutely, they blew me away. So I'm going to have,

we're going to, uh, let's roll the clip and then I'm going to have you kind of maybe unpack some of these really provocative themes you talked about in that three minute clip. Hello, pro-life generation. Millennials in Gen Z!

To Fannie Lou Hamer and the black women of the movement, your work to educate our community was not in vain. Your knowledge and insight into the systemically racist abortion industry is being exposed. Your no to Margaret Sanger the day she came to your doors and told you to abort your children will be heard around the world. The younger generation of black, Latina, indigenous, and women of color are taking our rightful place to expose the mass genocide of our children and the stain of blood across the movement that says it's standing to protect us.

No. You've used us as a shield to hide your trauma and tug of war against us. You movement that says it's standing to protect us. No, you've used us as a shield to hide your trauma and tug of war in your own community. You've mocked impoverished communities all while putting clinics in them. You've told me that I can't be black and pro-life because black women need abortions more than anyone. You tell us that we are disproportionately impacted, never giving

us our due proportions from the start. You have pocketed off the fear and pain of women and minors who don't feel fit to parent. You've handed minors abortion pills in silence and told them not to tell their parents. The aches and pains of rape, trafficking, and fear of mothering has made you rich. I stand here today and I proclaim life. I proclaim that future generations will live and not die. That they will be seen as enough to live. I stand in place of the pro-life black women across the globe who are suffering in silence. And we resist the evil strategy to pluck us out like weeds. The time is today and let it be forevermore that we resolve in our hearts

that we are different and yet the same. We bleed the same. Let us not use talking points to justify our arguments, but be effective listeners and create whole life from the womb to the tomb solutions. May we make room to hear black women speak and believe them in this movement. And as we march toward the prize of life, let us to understand that we must march hand in hand, that we must march together because in unity there is strength. So we must deal with our emotional prejudices and the things that we are committed to in order to not only protect life, but sustain life. Because we are going to be different. We are not only pro-life, but we care about moms too.

We care about families. We care about educations. Pro-life for the whole life. Thank you, everyone. Okay. Where do we start? So you used the phrase systemically racist abortion industry. Can you, and you gave a little bit, I mean, in three minutes, you don't have time to kind of like give the whole background or evidence for things you're saying. Can you unpack that a little bit i mean you know in three minutes you don't have time to kind of like give the whole background or evidence for things you're saying can you unpack that a little more if i think some people might be i think some people in this podcast would be like yeah absolutely others

might be like whoa well i never thought about the abortion industry being systemically racist can can you unpack that for us a bit more yeah so actually starting at the root um margaret singer established um the birth control. At that time, she was the president of the National Birth Control League, and she had gathered with some of the world's wealthiest individuals. I think one being J.P. Morgan and all of these like eugenicist minded people. Eugenicist is a belief that you remove the poorest and the feeble-minded, these were her words, the impoverished, the no use and no good for society individuals. You sort of remove them and you get to the cream of the crop. And there are so many different measures by which people

achieve that. Some do it through, some have done it through abortion. The Tuskegee Airmen experiment, the Tuskegee experiment is another. I know like there are so many different like theories out there that like vaccines are another. And so there are so many different ways that people have been removed, slavery from society, human trafficking.

And one in this specific case is abortion. And so Margaret Singer had to mobilize churches and communities by which she partnered with people who really believed in her agenda. And actually, I had found a letter she wrote back December 7th, early 1900s, where she says that like Hitler came to her in a dream and placed a crow above her head and sort of gave her the courage to follow her heart. And yeah, she had done a lot of wicked work in Brooklyn, New York.

She went to Puerto Rico. She tested birth control on Puerto Rican women. And she actually stood before the Connecticut General Assembly as well and kind of put up a fight for birth control at that time. And so it was really established with the mind and the idea to rid society of people and specifically Black people. Some people say African-American people. And so that is why when they begin to actually establish these buildings, majority of clinics landed in 79% of impoverished Black communities. Oftentimes people,

people just like corner stores are in Black communities. You know, there's abortion clinics and proximity means a lot. A lot of times people will use the service of whatever they live close by had it been a whole foods and maybe a great health facility we would see a different outcome but the foundation of it what is the foundation of it was to literally rid society of people and one thing she would always say is that the Black population was growing like weeds, like there's just so many of them. And so it didn't grip the community that wanted to, even birth control, because Black women were saying at that time, we are just a few generations of slavery. We want to have our children. We want to have a lot of children. My great-grandmother

had 10 kids, you know, so it was a very common thing to have children. And in many different ways, it was for labor, it was for community, it was to make sure that, you know, we had enough people to raise a farm, you know, but foundationally, it was very familial, the foundation of it. And so Margaret Sanger sort of had her own plan and she really believed in some insane way that to remove poverty is to remove the people that she believed produces and are the source of poverty and of a I was in college in New York. And I had done a project where I, at that time was the president of the black Latino student association. So I had access to the main server and I sent this email out to the entire student body. And I said, we're going to, we're going to March, you know, to, to, to, uh, to join the protest in support of Eric Gardner because I had friends who had lived on that corner where he was murdered. And at the same time, like it's so interesting. I tell people all the time,

like civil rights really in racial justice opened up the door for my advocacy for life. And at the same time, while I'm protesting against the murder of eric gardner i'm learning that there are more black babies aborted in new york than born and it was right in the heart where i go to college um and so i just i could not make sense of it for myself how could i protest this and not that um and so i remember actually saying one time in college like yeah life and uh one of the girls in the room just freaked out like you're what you know i went to a i studied acting at marymount manhattan college college of the liberal arts so i remember saying that and just never sharing that again um but I knew that I had to be vocal about it, that it really required education, because I don't think a lot of people knew the foundation of this. Roots are filled with this blatant racism, eugenics and everything.

Would you say that the industry now is still like that? And what evidence would you give for that? I guess part of the evidence would be the fact that these abortion clinics are situated in impoverished, largely black communities. Like you said, are there other things you'd point to to say, hey, if you open your eyes, you see that there's systemic racism that's integrated throughout this whole thing? Yeah, well, here's the deal. As a black pro-life woman in the Democratic Party, I myself have experienced racism from liberals and progressives. And I say that because the slogan for this industry is stand with black women. Yeah. They're very brilliant in their marketing.

Stand with black women. You know, my body, my choice. I mean, you have to really think about it. This is like really good marketing. It's very similar to Margaret saying, you know, if we get to the best of every of every community, we'll have the best in the world. And so the reason why I bring up the slogan is because it's stand with black women unless they have a different opinion. We maybe don't agree with that. We were not standing with her at all. And in fact, you know, I've had women say, you know, I will never forget talking to someone who said, you know, well, the clinic should be in your community.

You know, your people need them more than anything. And I'm like, but you're supposed to be an ally, you know. So I do think that this specific movement, it's very important to, I will say this, specifically white women. This specific, like like women's rights movement is believed to be theirs and so when you have a black woman who's coming along and saying actually like the need is much different i had had pockets of conversation with different women and i'm like black women and i'm like have you guys felt like black access to abortion and they're like no no we've never felt that way we everybody knows where to get an abortion

and so you have this steady promoting that black and latin women will lack access what I realized is that we are the mask for to me the pain and trauma of white women who often use Black and Latin women as a mask to hide whatever it is they're really protesting. And in this sense, I'm specifically speaking about like you're, you know, more like a little bit more left leaning womenaning um uh women who you know the women's movement is so important up to and so i kind of have stuff that and i'm in connecticut where like you know many republicans are socially liberal as well this is like you know it's like a it's like a different type of politics here okay um you know i against a republican who's pro-choice so it's like pro-choice Republican and pro-life Democrat, you know, um, you know, but, but I still see some of the residue of racism today in, in the abortion industry, for sure. Um, the marketing, um, setting up programs in like

schools of color. Um, you know, I don't, I, I, and I could be so wrong, but I doubt like Planned Parenthood is going to choke and Hopkins. Like I doubt it, you know? Um, but they're definitely going to, you know, schools in the inner city. So, so do you, do you think it's not, um, as you're talking, I'm thinking, so, so it might not be blatant kind of Margaret Sanger level racism. It's more subtle or, and maybe even do you think some of the racism in the industry,

people who are in the industry actually don't even see it? Or do you think some do? And they're just kind of like, you know what I mean? Like, is it, could, could it be just, it's just like ignorance of, of just absorbing certain messages that they've heard kind of like, you know what I mean? Like, could it be just like ignorance of just absorbing certain messages that they've heard other people say so they don't realize how racist it can be? Maybe that's the best reading of the situation. Yeah, there's definitely a bit of, there are two things. So one is propaganda. I really just think that people just don't know the truth

and they've been fed what they've been fed for so long. There's a woman who lives in my town and she was a pro-life Democrat. She ended up leaving the party. I think she's independent now. She's very pro-life. But she said to me not too long ago, she said, I really believe people 50 and under just don't know the truth about this industry like I do before Roe versus Wade was implemented. And I think a bit of it is that I think when you lay some movement in women's empowerment and women had experienced many different challenges and all different facets of society, then you'll have people bandwagoning the support and aid of and for women because, you know, I believe God is raising up women in different ways. However, it's false.

It's really, truly false. We've created a false sense of empowerment, you know, and then now you have a guy I'm reached out to by young women all the time who are so traumatized by their abortion choice. Really? Yes. Yes, very much so. And I do think it's a bit of the abortion industry has a lot of money and therefore has a big lobby and therefore has a lot of access and resources to educate people the way they want them to be educated. What are some things that you would say people are most ignorant about? I mean, you've touched on a couple of them already,

but are there other big-picture things that you're like, man, if people just knew the truth about X, Y, or Z, they might have a different view of the industry? I think several different things. I think, one, the lack of education around miscarriage management and ectopic pregnancies. When Roe versus Wade was on the brink of overturning, you had people saying a woman who has a miscarriage has to carry a dead baby or a woman with an ectopic pregnancy. And because so legislatively and morally, a miscarriage is not an abortion, but medically they have coined it a spontaneous abortion. And so, which is such an insult. Well, abortion by definition implies human agency, doesn't it? Like somebody did something like like it seems like that's

intrinsic to the term that there's a human agency involved in the act whereas a miscarriage is not i don't that just seems odd that they would conflate the two well i guess that's that's your point they're they're using rhetoric to to as part of propaganda exactly exactly in the in propaganda. Exactly. Exactly. And the goal is to then make you sort of like a monster for saying, I am pro-life and, you know, I do not support abortion. And, you know, and this is, you know, X, Y, and Z are the reasons. And so then oftentimes you're faced with questions like, so what if a woman is carrying, you know, a dead baby? Or what if a woman is going through a miscarriage? So there's so much misinformation and it's being pushed by Hollywood. It's being pushed by the entertainment industry. You have people in all spheres of influence that are pushing this false

information. You have doctors who get paid lots of money by these industries. I mean, now you have pharmacists that can prescribe birth control with no medical history. And so all it's I mean, the love of money is the root of all evil. And so that's really the core to me of some of the issues that I see, you know, today. And even I mean, even like, you know, black and white women like access to abortion. Now they've thrown indigenous women in it. And I'm like, you know, the Native American population is so small when it comes to abortion stats that oftentimes they're not even on the list. sort of hair and see, and, you know, or that abortion is an empowering choice. Sometimes you have to make that choice because you want to get your degree or you want to be, you want to have a successful career. There was once a point in time where being a mom was being a superhero. And today, so much of what we see is being a mom is a burden. It's the worst decision

you can make for yourself. It'll slow your life down. You won't have a career. You know, it'll mess your body up. I mean, you have women who are getting surrogates just because they don't want to change their bodies to look a different way. So, I mean, there are many different influences, I think, around us. But what I really love about Gen Z is they are on a quest for truth. us uh but what i really love about gen z is they are on a quest for truth and i think that's why when you get on tiktok you see so many conspiracy theories because i was watching a video the other day that was like are mermaids real you know and it was like a breakdown how mermaids were real i

mean it even went it even went to the fallen angels and i mean it was really powerful like but these gen Z kids were on social media, they were talking about sirens and mermaids, right? Like, then there was another video about the population. Then I saw another video about the best states, the states with the best food. I mean, they're really on a quest for truth. And I think it's so powerful of this generation. And I think because they face different challenges, the conversation around like oppression or all of those different things may look a little different than they did generations before. And that even includes abortion when you have so many young women who have access to way more

resources than they did before, who are getting their degrees, who are starting businesses. And so oftentimes I'll, I've even shared with like some of my colleagues and we've had really great discussion, you know, as a millennial woman, young one, it's sometimes it's offensive when you hear women talk hear young women talked about in a way where we are not substantially responsible and making responsible decisions, and that we always need to rely on this sort of cork or this band-aid of abortion because we're irresponsible. That's sort of the way we're projected. And I think that younger women are so much smarter than that. And I mean, even for myself, my friends are not fearing having children because of their careers or that it will negatively impact their lives. They're more so

concerned about the issues around maternal health and infant mortality. And so I think, you know, we as a society, we're in a really great space of educating and enlightening with resources like TikTok, where you'll see someone kind of challenge what's the norm or what's popular. And it kind of is giving us leverage to really angle how we want this conversation to be as people who stand for life. And I do think being whole life in this time and season is significant to young people because for them, they are very much so social, social challenges or social justice driven. Whether it's like climate change. I mean, climate change is huge. Climate change is so huge. Agriculture, aquaculture, starting businesses, the goal of building generational wealth. I called a realtor the other day and he said that the first time homebuyers program in Connecticut, a lot of young people are buying multifamily houses out the gate because they want to establish some form of wealth and income.

So I really do think we're in just a different day, just a different day in time. And I know the abortion industry understands it's shrinking in a way, which is why they begin to tap into other communities and other groups um i believe to to keep their their uh their momentum going so are you saying that gen z is would be more at least questioning um abortion as a fundamental human right or as a moral good, as opposed to maybe past or older generations? Because there's this thought that as society progresses, progressive values will be more widely embraced by each succeeding generation. And I've heard both sides of this. Some people say Gen Z is actually reversing that tide a little bit. They're questioning abortion, but I've heard other

people say, no, no, they're way more accepting it. Do you have any data or have you looked at this? So what I have seen is, so what I've personally seen is Gen Z by droves. It's like 70 plus percent of Gen Z, their top priority is climate change really abortion was like four it was climate change uh student debt cancellation um i forgot the fourth i mean the third and then abortion i do think it's it's not as um i i sort of i'm gonna go back to it's not as, I sort of am going to go back to, we're not in like the era of the hippie movement or this like mass move of like sexual liberation and like watching Jesus Revolution kind of learning that like, you know, hippies desired good things just the wrong way. just the wrong way. And so what I see with Gen Z is that even if they're dating, they, you know, they could be dating or, you know, engaging in, you know, different things, but there are just so many other things to do than have sex. And that's, that's the reality of it. You know, there are so many things to do than engage in sexual activity. But what I do know is that there are, you know, I think 60% of Gen Z would prefer to buy an item if they know that it's going to an important cause.

And the most important cause that's raising the most money is truly climate change. And that's why, like I said, I'm a young millennial, but I had to sort of school myself on climate change because I sit on the environmental committee and we've had several young people come before us and testify. I don't really see college students testifying, young college students testifying in public health in support of abortion. I don't. But they come before the education committee. And I actually see parents say, you know, we don't really want our kids to learn about these things. We want to teach our own kids these things.

And so I just I just think that, you know, I I tend to see this discussion as being way more important for like middle-aged women or women who are a bit older, you know, who are like, I should just say bands off their body. And sometimes I'll say, you know, well, you are, you've had that era in that time of having children and of investing in your children's future. I believe it's time to listen to younger women and listen to what's really important to us. And I will tell you, I hear a lot about maternal health. A million millennials are becoming moms every year. I mean, I see millennial women talk about wanting families and wanting children. You know, this idea that women are striving to be single parents. No, this idea that women are striving to be like, you know, liberated by abortion. I just don't, I don't see the realism in that. Um, I see what is done in media, but I don't see the realism in that around, um, a society

that to me is oftentimes influenced by culture. That's really helpful. That's, yeah. In my anecdotal experience with both, I'm a Gen Xer, and a lot of my ministry is with people my age and younger, all the way down to Gen Z. I'm a parent of four Gen Z kids. So I'm able to kind of peek behind the door of all these different generations. I find it fascinating.

And Gen Z, I agree with you. The truth-seeking, like they're just – you can't put them in a box. And I see so many generalizations about Gen Z that I'm like, I don't know if that's very accurate. I'm curious, though. I'm curious. Your perspective on the abortion – I almost call it the abortion industrial complex, maybe we should call it that, having systemically racist roots and actually ongoing systemically racist elements. among specifically among women of color in your experience like is trinae mcgee is she just an anomaly um a you know um or is this more widespread than people might might think um it's definitely more widespread i i tell a lot i you know i've oftentimes told my conservative colleagues

when the topic of abortion is oftentimes used as a it's unfortunate because i think the racial and systemic racial part of abortion um from the conservative side has been used as more of a talking point than it has been as a means to educate people okay and you know i i share with my colleague she said i just don't understand why there are certain people in communities who are not moved by that. And I told her what's not that they're moved by that. I just think there are so many barriers and there are so many things that are racially driven and motivated and that have been a problem that you're just like, okay, this is another like, okay, I mean, everything seems to be a barrier that way. So, but after I won the primary, after the turn of Roe versus Wade, Roe versus Wade overturned in June and my primary was in August. You know, it was in the news. This is the hottest, you know, election to watch this year. And I think what freaked people out was how I got reelected in a like really large amount of number in a lead for my competitor, my opponent. But it made clear a few things that one, the largest population in my district

are Black homeowners. I tried to explain to people that one, Black people are pro-life, to people that one black people are pro-life even if not all um what i often hear on the doors canvassing is i don't believe in abortion they may not call themselves pro-choice uh pro-pro-life but they say i don't believe in abortion i've heard so many older women say like i kept my child i don't believe in abortion it's really common and those who have chosen abortion don't believe in abortion. It's really common. And those who have chosen abortion, don't talk about it because it was a bad decision and it was shame. And we don't do that. You know, so like that's kind of the narrative around that. So I have colleagues who were shocked and I tried to explain to them, well, you know, this is just not a top priority for individuals. And the video that went viral before March for Life was me speaking on the floor. And I read the top 10 priorities for the Black community. And abortion was not one. It was

lowering child care costs. It was lowering health care costs. It was accessing healthy food. It was for millennials. It was canceling student loans. But it was not, in fact, abortion. And I don't think abortion has ever been a Black public health issue. I think that I think right now with Black maternal health and even the air quality in certain communities or the water, the lead in water has been with forged conversations or housing has forged conversations in the Black community more than abortion has. I really just don't see women really comfortable talking about it. It just takes courage to stand up and say, I'm a Democrat, or I'm on this side, you know, I'm a Republican, or I'm independent, and I'm very pro-life, especially in a society where we've seen, deemed that to be like anti-woman. This episode is sponsored by The Pour Over Podcast.

Oh, my word. I love The Pour Over Podcast. It is a trustworthy news resource guiding people toward eternal hope. It's not Republican. It's not Democrat. It's not conservative. It's not liberal. Instead, it is a Christ-centered summary of the major events going on in politics and in culture.

of the major events going on in politics and in culture. Like most of you, I am so tired of news outlets that are so clearly biased toward the right or to the left. I want to stay informed with what's going on, but I hate how traditional news outlets shape my heart and try to win me to a certain side. I mean, if you don't believe me, just ask yourself this question. After listening to, say, I don't know,

CNN or Fox News for like 30 minutes, am I less or more motivated to love my neighbor and my enemy? If the answer is less, then Houston, we have a huge problem, a discipleship problem. This is why I'm so excited about the Pour Over podcast. Each episode is only about seven minutes long, and they just tell you about what's going on in the world. They don't tell you how to interpret the various events or how you should feel about what's going on. Instead, they just let you know about the facts of what's going on while reminding listeners that our ultimate identity and hope is in Jesus Christ. I've even met some of the people at the pour over and they are super awesome. They're not some like closeted liberal or closeted

conservative think tank. Like they're truly genuinely just trying to keep us informed while staying focused on Christ. So don't let traditional media outlets steal your affection away from loving people who might vote differently than you. Instead, check out and subscribe to the Pour Over podcast in your favorite podcast app. What's it like being a pro-life Democrat? Is that, again, maybe that's a higher percentage than people real?

Well, so you mentioned, I mean, I think, tell me if I'm wrong, the majority of Black people would vote Democrat and yet also the majority of Black people would also be pro-life or at least not pro-abortion. Is that correct, those two assumptions? I mean, yeah. Well, I would say this is majority Democrats vote pro-life in ways that I think like majority

Democrat women, just like I think majority white women specifically vote Republican. I think it was like 74 to 78% white women for or maybe 84 percent for black women. It's like 92. So it's kind of like the same on both sides. But but there were many people in my district who'd say, like, I'm pro-life, too. I stand with Representative McGee. I'm a Democrat, but I'm also pro-life. I do think, you know, in many different ways, historically, you know, when you look at something like police brutality, that's something that people feel like they cannot control versus like abortion. You kind of feel like you're in control of that. So I think there are many different reasons why black individuals vote Democrat. But I know for sure, you know, I heard there's a, there is a doctor. He's not really the

most liked person. Uh, he's very pro in his beliefs, but his name is Dr. Umar. And he said, don't get this twisted. Black people are very pro-life and people were in the comments like, yeah, no, we really, really, we really are. But it kind of goes back to proximity and it goes back to, you know, when this clinic was the only means of health care or access to health that I had. But just like fast food, it presents as a trusting friend, but it's kind of killing you slowly, you know. And so I yeah, I definitely had that experience in my district. And it was cool to hear the older black women come to the polls and say, well, we're pro-life too. And we're Democrat and we're voting for you. Catholics as well.

Yeah. And Catholics would be, again, we're dealing with just broad brush statements, but would Catholics be on the whole more Democrat than Republican percentage wise? And yet they would be definitely pro-life. Yes. In my district, for sure, they're Democrat, but they're pro-life. There are conservative Catholics in my district as well. But I think I received an influx of emails from pro-life Catholics who were Democrat. Okay. So I'm'm curious maybe the elephant in the room question people want to know is okay you're obviously very passionate about being pro life why are you a democrat what is it is it climate change is it is it uh health care is it

student loans i mean some of these other issues as well or yeah because i don't think either party really owns what it means to stand on a life platform. And I think, you know, you know, for me, in many different ways, I am influenced by my morals and my values. You know, I have colleagues on the Republican side who vote conservative, but they don't, but they're not more, but they're not morally driven. Okay. And or like like have a faith um so for me it is there's a whole there's a whole like slew of things um and i do like the emphasis around climate change especially as it's embracing the younger generation i love the emphasis around um student debt and i sort of talked about that as well um You know, oftentimes I tell people, if you really care about what's an issue for Black women, like ditch abortion and

let's talk about student loans because, you know, right now Black women are more educated by race and gender, you know? So if you really cared about what was disparaging us, let's talk about how we're paying back student loans for the rest of our lives or deferring them, you know. And so there are many different issues to me that are really important on the Democrat side. But I do think that we need people on both sides to vote the same way. And if there's not anyone keeping a balance on a side, it can swing in a direction that actually isn't a reflection of what people want and need. So I think your average Democrat is like not progressive, like not progressively left. They're not, they're not. I don't know how much of, I was looking at the map of Congress the other day and it was like the blue dogs, the progressives. And I just, I don't really know how many of the

progressives and I'm not attacking Congress. I respect all of them for the work they do. And I'm not attacking Congress. I respect all of them for the work they do. I just don't know how progressive some of their districts are. Maybe when it comes to housing policies or even education in terms of, you know, you know, public education or public free community college, because there are different levels of progressivism but specifically when it comes to social issues i just i don't know how progressive all of you know these districts are because i think some people are having a hard time embracing that like being a woman is a feeling right you know yeah i i think people don't like that it's just like i kind of spoke before it just takes courage and for me i speak out against what i don't agree with with my party do you think a lot of it is going back is propaganda is stuff people hear on the news social media and they get maybe a warped perception of how the majority of people are actually thinking um yeah yeah this is why I don't I turn off the news. Yeah, absolutely. Even even, you know, it's I think God for this position that he's put me in, because like right now I'm writing and finishing up and producing a play. run adjacent because the entertainment industry is so, uh, it's what inspires a lot of politics, but oftentimes I will see a bill or people challenge a bill or protest the bill in mainstream

media. And then, you know, I, I read it and I'm like, that's not what the bill said. You know, that's not even the context or content of the bill. And so I do think that the media has played a part in warping people's minds. You know, I had a teacher back in the day who used to call TV tell-a-vision. He says, it tells a lie to your vision. That's what he used to say. And so I do think, you know, when you have mainstream, like, for example, a Fox and a CNN, which at one point I think were funded by the same people, kind of keeping people on different ends on purpose. When when 80 it was like 84 percent of us really, truly identify as a middle. Six percent identify as progressive and eight percent or eight percent identify as progressive and 6% identify as really ultra right.

I think there's a lot of middle, there's actually more middle than not. Um, and, and I, you know, I, there are people who share with me, listen, I don't, I have nothing against this community or, you know, I believe everyone has, should have access to housing and clean water, but I just don't agree with these things, you know you know so but we were in a society where there's diplomacy is kind of going out the window and you're either anti or you are phobic or you're all of these different things and sometimes we just we have to ask hard questions and be able to defend them or stand in them or research them ourselves before we sort of, you're canceled

and I don't want to talk to you because we don't agree. I have a random question, but you kind of, stuff you were saying kind of unearthed it in my own mind. So I'm just going to ask it. And this is Theology Naras, so that's what we do. And because, so as a politician, I mean, you've been able to peek

behind the curtain a little bit, right? And a lot of us are kind of like, what's going on back there, you know? In your opinion, what side has more power and money and maybe would produce more fear in your own heart, the far right or far left? Like,'m, you know, the, the, the, the radical progressive left or the kind of Christian nationalist, far radical, right. Cause I've talked to friends who give, give completely opposite opinions on that, on a question like that. I'm like, what's the right answer? I don't, I don't know. Like, is it, is it, you know, the it the Christian nationalists on the right or is it George Soros?

Would he be an example of somebody on the far left that has a lot of money and power and is pulling strings and stuff? Does that question even make sense? I don't know if that just came to my mind as you were talking. It does. It does. So I say this often and I know people can – it's controversial and people can kind of think what they want, but to me, they're the same person. They're the same. That I would, I would, that would be my assumption too.

up wealthy um and and and not only are they the same person but their family their brother and sister they are like like progressive white women to me or progressive individuals in general and but this is when it comes to social issues so i have to be specific because in like what i see more so is like progressive white women. They are fighting far right conservative white men. They're fighting each other. So they're they're the same person. They understand each other because they all grew up in the same house. So whether it's the father and the daughter or the niece and the uncle or the brother and the sister, they all understand each other. You know, I always find this fascinating, but there's like a common trend of conservative, of progressive white women who marry conservative white men. Huh? Why is that? Because I think they understand each other. They really understand each other. Now, it's funny.

They won't give me a pass and be my friend as a, you know, Black woman who they're like, oh, no, on this, she's conservative. We can't be friends with her, you know. But I think a bit of that is, and this is like, this is something nationwide. This is actually a pretty common thing. But I think it's because there's a part of them that understands each other and the fight for liberation in women comes from a place of trauma. And to me, it goes back to the slave master's wife who endured tons of trauma. I think a lot of it is, it's kind of like my theory. I actually, I haven't released it, but I wrote a blog on this because what I see is them fighting each other. And it's just to two extremes. It's kind of see which one can go the extreme and the furthest. So they both have money. Sometimes there are two wings of the same bird. They both know each other's operations so

that they can one up each other. I think media is a little bit more liberal, but less and less people are are kind of tuning in that way. Yeah. There are people are leaning toward independent sources. They say that now, like even more people are watching like BBC News or international news because they don't care. They just reported how it is. And so I think people are kind of like leaning away. Like my generation of like young people are not tuning into cnn yeah they're not you know or fox as much as kind of that's like definitely

older generation um but they're they're definitely one they're they're the same person the silver spoon person who in one way you know i justin actually said this recently at Jude 3, he said, you have to kind of see the good in people. When you kind of see the good in them and like, what it is they're trying to achieve, it kind of shifts your perspective on how to even view them or work with them or engage with them. Well, there was a study that I read a while back that said the exact thing you did, that when you go to the far extremes on each side, you get the same kinds of people, usually white, educated, elite, wealthy. They very much come from

the same, like you said, the same kind of family. As always, I forget where I read these things, but I think there is even data on that. That's been my anecdotal experience, I would say, as well, is when I hear the far right, it sounds very much like the far left and vice versa, just different things they're fighting for. You mentioned kind of mainstream media and propaganda and everything. Do you have some favorite journalists that, since we're on this topic, that you feel like, man, here's some outlets or writers or people or thinkers that are very fair and trustworthy?

You're kind of snickering a little bit. It's so hard. It's so hard today. It's really hard. I mean, I really like Esau McCauley. I love his sort of opinion pieces and such. They're really good. They come from a good perspective.

You know, I mentioned Christiane Amanpour, but when she's on TV, occasionally I love to watch her. You never really know how she votes, what she supports. She's never been too vocal about those things. And I think she's done, just that age of journalism is like leaving a little bit um so

i still listen to her and kind of engage in her and her things um there's a source i'm forgetting the name of it but it's independent and it's like crowdfunded almost it's funded by people it's that's that's a source that i def i like to read um and that there's a wide range of kind of like opinion pieces to like college age to older more experienced you know writers um but i just kind of wax and wane and oftentimes when you're reading bill all the time and you're sort of you kind of know the truth that the media maybe not want to support. So I, you know, I kind of, I watch local news to know what's going on, but I have like pulled away from news a bit

because it's so frustrating. Well, I think, I mean, this is a whole nother conversation, but it's interesting how influential independent sources are, or even like podcasts. And there's a, I think there's

a social experience. I would love you actually as a Democrat, I would love your thoughts on this. Um, cause I, I, I dabble, I try to keep up with what's going on, but I am, I am so far removed from like the ins and outs of political movements and stuff, but I am on a, on a sociological level. I'm kind of fascinated at, um, RFK juniors popularity, even though he's given minimal platform on any mainstream news outlets, but he's taking, he's, he's going on every single long form, um, podcasts. And, and I think people are not, maybe they don't realize how popular these outlets are. I mean, the classic, of course, is Joe Rogan gets 12 million views per episode where CNN might get a million.

So he's like 12 times more exposure. And that's obviously an anomaly, but there's other shows that are very popular as well. And if you're hitting all of these shows, you're actually covering way more ground. And when you're not on, mainstream outlets are so short, it's soundbitey, it's this, that, but when you not on, you know, mainstream outlets are so short,

it's soundbitey, it's this, that, but when you go on, you can talk for two or three hours. People can actually hear your ideas in context. I don't know. It's an interesting,

I feel like it's the same social experiment that we had with Donald Trump and Twitter back in 2016. We realized like, oh my word, he got elected because of Twitter.

Like really, like he, and I think now I'm wondering if these independent sources primarily through podcasts are mixing things up in a way that we don't really realize until we'll look back in five to ten years and kind of see. I don't know. I'm just totally thinking out loud. I could totally be 100% wrong. I mean, podcasts are incredible. I mean, podcasts are incredible. For some reason, I think so much of people still believe that, especially people in government and positions of power, believe that the greater influence is being seen.

Huh. ABC, CNN, The View, The Talk, you know, whichever. I still think the Faulkner Report and Fox, I still think that people believe that that is the means to gain mobility and to gain a more, like, something you could see, like, kind of of support or the comments on Facebook Live. But a lot of young people are engaging in podcasts. And there's a little bit, it kind of reminds me of like, you know, Dave Chappelle, when he's like, I'm going to Netflix because I know I could just be myself. Yeah. Versus like, you know, some of these other networks that there are so many different restrictions.

As a comedian who wants to be raw in my like raw form, I need to go somewhere where I can be free. I think that's what podcasts have become. And to me, they're really generating so much support and a huge following. And in RFK's case, I just think he was just very dangerous to the Democrat. I just think it was very dangerous to the party's platform because a lot of people support him on both sides. And there was just a way of, I think, of uniting people that is scary to, you know, to really both platforms. It's like, well, there are Democrats supporting him as well. That's how that's how Tulsi Gabbard was. Yes. Before she left the Democratic Party, she was like building following on both sides. And it was like, OK, no, she's a threat because she's actually taking votes from Trump. know in their minds like she's not a bigot you know or she's not you know racially you know racially spewing things but she's pulling both you know voters from both sides you know so yeah and she did a lot of podcasts as well yeah well they're both i guess in the case of both of them

and i know i've listened to maybe a few hours of rfk junior on maybe half a dozen different podcasts largely just because i find them social from a sociological perspective for i often pay attention to things as like just like almost like as just if i remove myself from the society and just kind of pay attention to different trends i just find it interesting you know is he right or wrong i don't i don't i don't know enough to say you know what he's saying is right or wrong? I don't know enough to say what he's saying is right or wrong. To me, that's almost secondary to kind of, for my interest in seeing kind of like, wow, what's going on? Why would somebody that seems to, he's a Democrat, but is not well-liked by the Democratic Party at all. He says some pretty things that sound pretty outlandish, but he seems

to back him up with stuff that I'm like, I would have to do a lot of research to say he's wrong on this or that, whatever. But he's speaking out against the establishment in ways that I'm like, oh, yeah, of course he's going to not be well-liked on the side of the aisle that he's registered with. Let's go back to abortion, and then I'll let you go here. You mentioned abortion regret. Is that a pretty widespread thing when people get an abortion? Or is it a fringe thing? Is it a small percentage? Or is it a lot of people that get an abortion end up on some level regretting it? women who have considered suicide, um, have had abortions within a certain amount of time,

um, you know, prior to considering suicide. Um, I mean, there are, there are, um, my choice story, um, um, shout your abortion to abortion recovery, um, abortion survivors network. I mean, live action, all of these platforms share stories of abortion regret. They're everywhere. Wow. They're all over the media. And I think the one who kind of became mainstream with her abortion regret was when Sharon Osbourne shared her story about how it actually physically messed her up. She had gotten an abortion at 17 years old.

And so that definitely is a widespread thing. As far as post-abortive support, I think we're talking more about it, but we need to talk even more about it. Different mental health resources for women to seek counseling after abortion. Pregnancy centers provide, but we have to really talk more about it because I think we've normalized trauma in a way where it's been this empowering thing. And then you have a woman that says like, actually it wasn't empowering, it was very painful. And this is what I experienced in aftermath. We often talk about, you know, the statistic is like 99% of women who chose life over an abortion does not regret their decision. So women are not regretting keeping their children, but they do regret having abortions.

Four out of every 10 women who have abortions are actively attending church. So this is also a big issue for our church communities as well. And then I think, you know, when it comes to the shame that women have carried, you know, we have to find ways to really embrace women as they experience a loss like abortion, especially in church. There are all sorts of programs. There was this one program, I believe it was called the Esther's Program, where a church would adopt a family and sort of just help them with their children.

But I hope to one day see centers, pregnancy centers, even community centers that help families provide community and village that help them raise their children all the way up to their 18 um but yeah abortion regret is a thing i do get calls and emails and um i had a young woman reach out to me who wanted to publicly share her her story about um you know sort of having regretted her abortion and almost dying so that's that's common as well that have been young women right here in Connecticut. So I just think that women,

when women see others share, then they feel more encouraged to share. It's like an inclination to share their stories as well. What are the main factors that would lead someone to get an abortion?

Is it lack of financial resources to provide or shame from a religious community of maybe having sex outside of marriage or something? I think it might be referring to the LifeWay study that was done a few years ago, the whole four out of ten women are church-going women. And I remember in that study, there was a few things said. Number one was the shame of having a baby out of wedlock was so profound. And then the shame of getting an abortion was profound. It was kind of like damned if you do, damned if you don't. There was nowhere to go. And so it was kind of like a secret abortion that was just kind of on the side really quickly was to them the best available option. So there's certain things in our religious environments that obviously need to change. Anyway, my original question, what are some main factors that lead someone to get an abortion? Is it finances? So yeah, 73% of women would prefer to parent if they had resources. So to me, the abortion industry really uses fear and poverty as a tool to make its own self rich.

And it is a it is, you know, women. It's this idea that you have to have, you have to be privileged to parent. I also think it's just, you know, it's something when you see statistics that show all of the women who are successful, who are millionaires, who are having abortions, especially in the, in the industry. Um, is it so, you know, it's, it's a, it's a way you're messing your career when you have a child. So seek an abortion. I mean, Michelle Williams got up literally at the Oscars and said that she made a choice and that's basically how she got her award. I was like, are you kidding me? And actually Twitter erupted. Um, all sorts of women got on Twitter and was like, that was not, that was inappropriate. Um, but yeah, it usually is financial resources and circumstances,

situations. 64% of women are coerced by their partners. Um, 40% of women seek, by their partners, 40% of women will then go back and seek another abortion. And so a very, very small percentage of women seek abortion after rape and incest as well. And so I think these statistics sort of show us the community of people that feel feel of women that feel neglected and underserved and even underrepresented. You know, scripture tells us to be voiced for a voice for the voiceless. And so I think a lot of these women just don't feel empowered to say, like, this was my circumstances situation. And I just did not feel equipped to provide in this situation. And so then, you know, therefore I made this decision.

But very rarely is it, you know, women skip it. I think the this was heartbreaking, but there was this guy on TikTok and he said that he was escorting his friend. This was a second friend. He had done this to to an abortion clinic to become unpregnant. friend he had done this to to an abortion clinic um to become unpregnant and i think the most gripping part of that whole video was when she stood in the like the the window of a store and you could see her reflection and that girl had to be about six months like she was very clearly showing um very clearly showing and it it had to be a late term facility. There's just no way because their sonic was too big.

You know, and so like that's the culture and times is promoting that. That's what's getting millions and millions of views or being laughed at or mocked. But in reality, women struggle after making abortion decisions. Well, Trené, thank you so much for coming on the show and for sharing your car with us this afternoon. And lots and lots to think about. I'm so sorry that I'm in my car. It's totally fine. It was just one of those days.

It was one of those days. I have hosted a podcast for my car before, so there's no shame there. So where can people find out more about you? you got a website please follow on my my instagram it's rep trinae mcgee and um you can look up cga which is connecticut general assembly and follow my page you can even describe subscribe to my monthly newsletters to see what i'm updated doing and my personal website and platforms are trinae mcee.com and my other social medias as well. So thank you so much for having me. This is great.

Thanks for coming on the show, Trenay. I really appreciate it. This show is part of the Converge Podcast Network.