Salt Lake County Council member Dave Alvord says fetuses are not part of a mother’s body because the umbilical cord and placenta do not connect directly to the woman.
That isn’t true, but Alvord is standing by his comments in the wake of the social media pile-on he’s faced after airing those views on Twitter, in response to a tweet by Vice President Kamala Harris.
Asked Wednesday about where Alvord got his information, whether he stands by the comments, the backlash he’s faced online — and what he thinks about one abortion-access advocate calling his tweet “seriously uninformed,” the Republican council member declined to respond.
“It appears this is a story about social media, so it seems more appropriate we leave it there,” Alvord said in a text message. “I’ll tweet a response on Twitter. Thanks for your consideration and allowing me the chance to respond.”
Alvord made the initial comment Saturday morning in response to a tweet from Harris saying women should be able to make decisions about their own bodies without interference from the government.