A North Carolina lawmaker is going viral on TikTok after his office allegedly told a female constituent in an email to “move to China” after she raised concerns about the state’s abortion policy.
The constituent, who asked to remain anonymous due to concerns for her safety, told NBC News on Saturday that she sent an email to Republican state Sen. Danny Britt on Nov. 7 to say that her family “desperately wants to expand.”
“But because of You, [President-elect Donald] Trump and the republican party and the strict abortion laws in this country we cannot,” she wrote in the email, a copy of which was shared with NBC News. “Thanks for ruining our futures! You all are terrible people.”
In response, Britt’s legislative assistant Camille McDougald allegedly told the constituent to consider moving to another country.
“Thank you so much for the email. I am not quite certain how we are preventing you from expanding your family. I suggest you move to China immediately and see how that works out for you,” the email reads. “If for some reason that fails Russia is nice in the winter and Venezuela in the summer.”
McDougald’s response gained attention after it was shared by TikTok user Lindsay Talley, who posted a video last week explaining that her friend has a genetic disorder that “creates life-threatening anomalies with fetal heart issues.” The video has garnered more than 260,000 views, with many of the commenters slamming the response as “unprofessional” and “disgusting.”
“This is incredibly inappropriate,” one person wrote.
“These politicians have lost their ever loving minds,” another commented.
The constituent told NBC News that she is a carrier for a very rare genetic condition with a 50% chance of being passed on to a child.
“I was scared when I wrote that email, about my livelihood,” she said.
The woman said McDougald’s response made it seem like “they don’t care.”
Multiple attempts to reach Britt and McDougald have been unsuccessful.
Under North Carolina law, abortions are legal in the following circumstances: during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy; when a qualified physician determines a medical emergency exists; through the 20th week of pregnancy when the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest; and during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy if a doctor determines there exists a life-limiting anomaly in the fetus. If a life-limiting anomaly is detected, the patient must fill out a consent form before seeking an abortion.
The woman argued that the law was not clear enough, and because of that, it is “forcing people to get care out of state.”
In the end, the woman said she wants her government representatives “to have some compassion and tell me what they’re going to do.”
