JD Vance just got even creepier

Vice President JD Vance speaks at a rally ahead of the March for Life in Washington on Jan. 23.

Vice President JD Vance made an appearance at the March for Life event in Washington Friday, during which he pushed some birther lore.

“One particular piece of information has haunted me: That one of the telltale signs of an ancient brothel in the pagan world was that you'd always find a large number of baby skeletons nearby,” he said. “A lot of baby skeletons, and those bones predominantly belong to boys. Because unlike little girls, those boys would be of no use to the future adults who are running those brothels.” 

Vance’s evangelical and deeply perverse claim—that the practice of infanticide in Ancient Rome was sexually based—belies historical and archeological evidence. While infanticide did occur in Roman pagan culture, it was typically practiced to control family size and was predominantly practiced on female babies.

The “brothel” theory that Vance is peddling is also not supported by credible evidence. The origins lie largely with modern Christian ideological movements that frame the sexual revolution of the 1960s as a return to paganism and a dechristianization of society. 

Archeologists still debate whether it is even possible to reliably distinguish brothels from taverns or inns based on material remains. Sites where large numbers of infant skeletons have been discovered show no clear male predominance, and there are many researchers who question the real nature of those burials.

But fabricating facts and stories in service of his preferred “truth” is nothing new to Vance. He has openly stated that he has no moral qualms with inventing narratives—especially bigoted ones—to advance his political goals.