GOP Congressman: Women Can't Serve As Infantry Because Their 'Nature' Could 'Impair' Missions

Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR) claimed on Tuesday afternoon that women should be prevented from competing with men for infantry combat roles because of their womanly nature being a hindrance on the battlefield.

After praising female accomplishments in non-combat military roles, Cotton told Laura Ingraham on her radio show, 'To have women serving in infantry, though, could impair the mission-essential tasks of those units. And that's been proven in study after study, it's nature, upper body strength, and physical movements, and speed, and endurance, and so forth.'

Cotton's comments echo a sentiment expressed by fellow Republican Rick Santorum, who back in 2012, after the military loosened its restrictions on women in combat, lamented that women on the frontlines concerned him because of their 'emotions.'

Progressive blog ThinkProgress points out that 'a survey of several NATO allies that allowed women in 'frontline roles' in Afghanistan found that female officers caused 'no significant problems,' and actually performed better than their male counterparts in intelligence-gathering roles.'

Listen below, via The Laura Ingraham Show:

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