Congressman awaits birth of twin grandchildren

Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) was hoping to chat with his state’s governor before a key healthcare deadline Friday, but he also has more important things on his agenda: the upcoming birth of his, not one, but two, new grandchildren.

Gingrey, an OB-GYN, has delivered more than 5,200 babies in his career, and his experience as a doctor has made him an important voice on healthcare issues. His state has to make a big decision Friday about whether to implement part of President Obama’s healthcare law, and Gingrey was hoping to discuss the choice with Gov. Nathan Deal (R).

But he thought he’d have more time — on Friday, he’s a little busy.

When a reporter asked him Thursday about the next day’s healthcare deadline, Gingrey replied, “What I was thinking about most of the day tomorrow is the delivery of my 12th and 13th grandchildren.”

He went on to explain, “My daughter is 37 weeks with twins, and she’s going to have a Cesarean section tomorrow at 5:00, so that’s been kind of on my mind. Now all of a sudden you’ve scrambled my brain a little bit."

Gingrey delivered one of his other grandchildren himself, at a hospital just down the street from where his practice used to be.