Mike Moon chicken abortion
Mike Moon made light work of his chicken Facebook/Mike Moon

A Missouri lawmaker beheaded a chicken and ripped its heart out on camera while espousing anti-abortion views – then uploaded the footage to Facebook.

Republican State Representative Mike Moon performed the bizarre stunt to generate publicity for a bill to outlaw abortion in his home state.

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Moon, who compares abortion unfavourably to slavery and the Holocaust, was filmed butchering one of many chickens reared at his family farm.

The 1m13s clip is punctuated with Moon mounting a theological attack on abortion while also taking shots at Governor Eric Greitens, who has called the State Senate back from summer recess for a special session to debate abortion legislation.

Despite the graphic nature of the images and the seriousness of Moon's lecture, he still manages to imbibe the production with a cheesy feel.

One highlight comes when he removes the chicken's heart, shows it to the camera and then – seamlessly – says: "I think we need to get to the heart of the matter here..."

The video has been watched by over 37,000 people on Facebook. One user commented: "That is so gross!!! I can't believe I actually watched that!"

Moon replied: "Just think how gross abortion is."

WARNING: THE VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT

Here is Republican State Representative Mike Moon's speech in full:

"When the Governor [Greitens] called for the second special session this year, I was right in the middle of my summer job. But like any good career politician, when you get the call [Moon beheads the chicken] I'm going back to work."

"God gave man dominion over life. He allows us to raise animals properly and care for them and then process them for food so we can sustain life. And that's what I'm doing here with this chicken.

"We've been called back for this special session with the primary purpose of supporting life, protecting the unborn specifically.

"I think we need to get to the heart of the matter here [Moon displays the chickens heart], so today I'm filing a bill that will lead to the stopping of abortion in the state of Missouri."