Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker has likened abortion to murder; said that it should banned without exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother; and declared he would vote for a national ban on the procedure. Knowing all this, you may have assumed that the Republican nominee would not have (1) reportedly pressured a woman he impregnated to get an abortion and (2) paid for the whole procedure. But, surprise!
The Daily Beast reports that in 2009, the Senate candidate “urged” a woman he was dating to get an abortion and then sent her money as reimbursement. The woman, whom the outlet has not identified for privacy reasons, backed up her claims with a receipt from the abortion clinic, an image of a signed $700 check from Walker, and a “get well” card he sent her. If you’re wondering at this time what kind of card one sends to a person after they’ve had an abortion, Walker reportedly went with one that, per the Daily Beast, featured “a drawing of a steaming cup of tea” and the words “Rest, Relax…” on the front and “…Recover” on the inside. Walker’s card was reportedly signed, “Pray you are feeling better,” and included an H in Walker’s distinctive handwriting. The outlet says it “independently corroborated details of the woman’s claims with a close friend she told at the time and who, according to the woman and the friend, took care of her in the days after the procedure.”
After the woman found out she was pregnant, Walker reportedly told her that it was “not the right time” for him to have a kid and that an abortion would be more convenient for him. She was reportedly unaware that earlier that year, another woman had given birth to the retired football player’s child. The Daily Beast reports that the woman also told it that she chose to come forward due to Walker’s public stance on abortion, which obviously does not track with her personal experience. According to reporter Roger Sollenberger, she told him “I just can’t with the hypocrisy anymore. We all deserve better.”
Walker has spent the entire campaign condemning abortion, repeatedly likening it to murder and making it clear that he wants the medical procedure banned, full stop. Asked in May if he wanted the law to go further than the six-week ban passed by the Georgia state legislature, he told reporters, “There’s no exception in my mind. Like I say, I believe in life. I believe in life.” He has has dubbed carve-outs for rape, incest, and the life of the mother “excuses.”
Just last month, Walker claimed that his stance on abortion is not at all new, as the Daily Beast notes, and that he has “always” been “for life,” meaning he may well have held such beliefs while he was reportedly telling someone to get an abortion and paying for it.
When the Daily Beast asked Walker for comment before the story published, Robert Ingram, a lawyer representing both the campaign and Walker personally, said, “This is a false story. All you want to do is run with stories to target Black conservatives. You focus on Black conservatives.” He also asked for the name of the woman who came forward, which the outlet refused to disclose. Following the article’s publication, Walker said in a statement that it was a “flat-out lie” and that he planned to sue the Daily Beast.
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