(Oregon Right to Life) — U.S. Secretary of Transportation and potential Democratic VP pick Pete Buttigieg sparked controversy when he suggested that guaranteed access to legal abortion makes men in America “more free.”
Buttigieg, a potential choice to be Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election, made the remarks during a Monday “White Dudes for Harris” Zoom fundraising call.
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Buttigieg said in the call that he’s happy Harris has made “freedom” a cornerstone of her fledgling campaign “because in so many ways, that’s what’s at stake.”
“And yes, women’s freedom is ‘exhibit A’ after Donald Trump demolished the right to choose, but of course men are also more free in a country where we have a president who stands up for things like access to abortion care,” Buttigieg said.
“Men are more free when the leader of the free world, the leader of this country, supports access to birth control and to IVF,” he added.
The remarks immediately drew criticism from pro-life advocates. Several accounts on social media observed that Buttigieg appeared to have had “said the quiet part out loud” during the Monday Zoom call.
“Legal abortion makes men freer than they would be without it… Buttigieg said Monday — leading pro-lifers to respond that that’s the problem,” National Catholic Register (NCR)’s Matthew McDonald wrote.
“Pete Buttigieg is recklessly suggesting that legal abortion makes men ‘more free’ as they can push a woman into having an abortion in order to shun responsibility,” Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee told NCR in a text message. “If men are part of creating a new life, they should accept the responsibility that goes along with caring for their child and the child’s mother.”
Tobias told the outlet that Buttigieg’s remarks were “creepy and disgusting.”
Abby Johnson, a prominent pro-life advocate who previously worked as a clinic director for Planned Parenthood, also blasted Buttigieg for the comments.
Steven Ertelt, founder and editor of the pro-life website LifeNews, noted that Buttigieg’s statements reveal that abortion isn’t “pro-woman,” contrary to the claims of pro-abortion activists.
Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said Buttigieg’s definition of “freedom” is actually “a societal trainwreck.”
Kamala Harris has been a deeply pro-abortion politician throughout her career, earning a 100% rating on Planned Parenthood’s congressional scorecard, Oregon Right to Life previously noted. She has expressed support for the codification of Roe v. Wade and refused to endorse a gestational limit for legal abortion. Earlier this year, she became the first vice president in U.S. history to visit an abortion facility.
Like Harris, Buttigieg has expressed support for abortion with no legally-imposed limits.
If elected in November, Harris is likely to lead the most pro-abortion administration in U.S. history.
