The fumbling finger of God

His mysterious ways

Colorado state legislator Ted Harvey is a “pro-life hero” according to Barbara McGuigan, the host of the anti-abortion segment of EWTN's Open Line talk-radio program. A resolution was pending at the state capitol to recognize and honor the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Rocky Mountain branch of Planned Parenthood. Harvey saw an opportunity for a publicity stunt, stealthily arranging to have an anti-abortion activist appear as his guest at the legislative session. Harvey's guest was a young woman who had survived being prematurely born as the result of an attempted late-term abortion; she had grown up to become a singer. After Harvey arranged to have her sing the national anthem at the Colorado House of Representatives session, he turned his introduction of her into an attack on the Planned Parenthood resolution before being gaveled down as being out of order. (He was using the time granted for introduction of guests to address measures pending before the house.) His account of his ploy was soon thereafter featured on his campaign website, where he said the whole event was “orchestrated” by God.

McGuigan devoted a large chunk of her June 20, 2006, broadcast to a phone interview with Representative Harvey, lauding him for his efforts to oppose what she called the “heinous resolution” to honor a “legacy of genocide.” She gushingly introduced him and welcomed him to the program:

I can't thank you enough and let's try to get all the details. We want to hear it all, Ted. I remember a very wonderful priest that I know always says nothing happens by accident.

[Noise]

Whoops! I think we might have lost him. Hopefully he'll be able to get us back.

Anyway the holy Russian priest that I just met said he who believes in accidents does not believe in God, so that was not an accident that we lost Ted Harvey. So hopefully he will be able to get back to us.

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A little while later, Harvey was able to re-establish his phone connection to Open Line, after which the interview continued without further intervention by God. McGuigan chortled with glee throughout the conversation, celebrating the initiative that Harvey had taken against the Planned Parenthood resolution. After devoting a quarter hour to her lovefest with Representative Harvey, McGuigan moved on to her next guest. Curiously enough, however, neither hostess nor guest thought to share with the radio audience “the rest of the story”:

Senate Joint Resolution 06-044 was passed by both houses of the Colorado legislature despite Ted Harvey's supposedly divinely inspired ploy.