Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams sparked a social media debate this week by arguing legal abortion benefits women financially, helping insulate them from inflation.
Her controversial remarks to MSNBC came in response to contributor Mike Barnicle asserting that although abortion "is an issue," it "nowhere reaches the level of interest of voters in terms of the cost of gas, food, bread, milk, things like that."
Abrams pushed back.
"Having children is why you're worried about your price for gas," Abrams told MSNBC. "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. ... It's important for us to have both/and conversations. We don't have the luxury of reducing it or separating them out."
.@staceyabrams says abortion can help address inflation issues: "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." pic.twitter.com/BNHJWqKRpa
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) October 19, 2022
Abrams, who is pro-choice, is the Democratic nominee in Georgia and is trying to unseat Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who is pro-life.
"Abortion is an economic issue," she said. "... Half the population, especially those of childbearing age, they understand that having a child is absolutely an economic issue. It is only politicians who see it as simply another cultural conversation. It is a real biological and economic imperative conversation that women need to have."
Pro-life advocate Alveda King criticized Abrams.
"When people are afraid, they will make decisions even to taking the life of an innocent person," King told Fox News. "... When women are scared or frightened or don't know where the next meal is coming from, it's very unkind to suggest making sure you abort your baby because otherwise, you're going to starve to death. That's kind of what she's saying, and that is really frightening. I'm very concerned about that perspective."
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Megan Varner/Stringer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
