OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams appears to have significantly harmed her chances of winning her race following a comment she made about abortion and the current wave of inflation under President Joe Biden and a Democrat-controlled Congress.
In an interview with MSNBC contributor Mike Barnicle this week, Abrams was asked how she could help tamp down voters’ concerns about inflation, which has led to substantial increases in gas, fuel, food, and housing costs and prices since Biden took office. In response, Abrams seemed to suggest that abortion would help alleviate inflation by eliminating the expense of raising a child, Fox News reported.
“But let’s be clear. Having children is why you’re worried about your price for gas, it’s why you’re concerned about how much food costs. For women, this is not a reductive issue. You can’t divorce being forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy from the economic realities of having a child,” she said.
Continuing, Abrams hinted that personal economic success and abortion are linked: “And so these are — it’s important for us to have ‘both and’ conversations. We don’t have the luxury of reducing it or separating them out.”
Her comments drew no small amount of outrage from conservatives online.
Christina Pushaw, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ rapid response director, tweeted: “She is so bad at this.”
Virginia state delegate Nick Freitas remarked, “Under Democratic leadership, you can’t afford children, but don’t worry, they will force your neighbor to pay for your abortion!”
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk queried: “Why are Democrats like Stacey Abrams and Katie Hobbs so obsessed with full-term baby killing?”
Why are Democrats like Stacey Abrams and Katie Hobbs so obsessed with full-term baby killing?
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 19, 2022
Lavern Spicer, a former GOP congressional candidate, added: “Stacey Abrams says killing your unborn children helps with inflation because you don’t have to worry about how much it costs to feed them. Stacey Abrams is a demon.”
Conservative radio host Dan O’Donnell was shocked by Abrams’ suggestion: “Stacey Abrams just said more abortions will help solve the inflation problem. You can’t make this up.”
Vernon Jones, a former Democratic lawmaker from Georgia turned Republican, asked, “Wait a minute, @staceyabrams believes and want you to believe having an abortion is a good way to drive down the cost of gas and food? D—!”
“The Biden economy is so awful right now that @staceyabrams’ solution is for women to get abortions #gagov,” noted Republican activist and former congressional candidate Matthew Foldi.
The Biden economy is so awful right now that @staceyabrams’ solution is for women to get abortions #gagov 🤯 pic.twitter.com/wEcXf8JZLK
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) October 19, 2022
Pro-life activist and Catholic priest Fr. Frank Pavone tweeted, “hmm, @staceyabrams thinks abortion can help with inflation. Killing living babies to help inflation is EVIL! We need to Vote Pro-life!!!”
Conservative author Marc Thiessen also responded, tweeting: “Stacey Abrams says the answer to inflation is abortion. If you kill your baby, you won’t have to feed it or drive it to school. You can’t make this stuff up.”
Stacey Abrams says the answer to inflation is abortion. If you kill your baby, you won’t have to feed it or drive it to school. You can't make this stuff up. https://t.co/ZLk1VJiDx6
— Marc Thiessen 🆓🇺🇦 (@marcthiessen) October 19, 2022
Newsweek opinion editor Josh Hammer responded, “Positively ghoulish.”
Earlier this month, Abrams got smacked down by an Obama-appointed federal judge in a voting rights case when he ruled that Georgia’s voter integrity laws requiring voter identification and citizenship checks are constitutional and do not inordinately effect minorities.
U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones explained his decision in his ruling, noting that federal courts are “not the arbiter” of state elections, handing a major victory to Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and other voter integrity groups fighting the lawsuit.
“Although Georgia’s election system is not perfect, the challenged practices violate neither the constitution nor the VRA,” the judge said. “As the Eleventh Circuit notes, federal courts are not ‘the arbiter[s] of disputes’ which arise in elections; it [is] not the federal court’s role to ‘oversee the administrative details of a local election.’”
“Having held a non-jury trial and considered the evidence and arguments of the parties, for the foregoing reasons, the Court finds IN FAVOR of Defendants and against Plaintiffs on all remaining Counts of Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint,” he said.
The case was brought by Abrams and the group Fair Fight after she lost her 2018 gubernatorial bid.
