Yesterday, Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Garrett Soldano was exposed for his out-of-touch beliefs, after a recent interview where he claimed that survivors of rape should be “heroic” in their pregnancies, because the baby could one day be president.
During his extremist rant, which mirrored the famous “legitimate rape” tirade of Todd Akin, Soldano argued life begins “even before the heartbeat” and advocated for a near-total ban on abortion in the state of Michigan. Soldano went on to say that society must “inspire” women who get raped to give birth because “God put them in this moment.”
Earlier today, Soldano doubled down on his extremist comments, saying “as a man,” he would never change his position.
But while he has been the loudest this week, Soldano is not the only Republican running for governor of Michigan who holds disgusting and disqualifying anti-abortion beliefs. Every single primary candidate, if elected, would re-instate a nearly-century-old law that makes providing an abortion a felony should Roe be overturned.
Read the coverage of Soldano’s dangerous anti-abortion beliefs:
Heartland Signal: Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate says life begins at DNA, ‘even before the heartbeat’
- “While speaking with April Moss on her “Face the Facts” podcast on Jan. 19, Soldano advocated for banning most abortions in Michigan as soon as a fetus develops DNA unique from its mother.”
- “Soldano also mentioned while there might be a path for rape survivors to get an abortion, he would prefer a culture that encourages them to deliver the child instead.”
MSNBC: Another GOP candidate struggles to talk about pregnancies from rape
- “The idea that God put women impregnated by rapists ‘in this moment’ is probably not a message that will resonate with many voters.”
- “As longtime readers may recall, it was in Missouri’s 2012 U.S. Senate race when Republican Todd Akin famously declared, ‘If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.’ Two months later, in Indiana’s U.S. Senate race, Republican Richard Mourdock argued that when a woman is impregnated by a rapist, ‘it’s something God intended.’”
Washington Post: Mich. GOP governor candidate said rape victims shouldn’t have abortions: ‘Baby inside them may be the next president’
- “Many pro-choice politicians and activists condemned Soldano’s comments. State Sen. Erika Geiss (D) called his remarks ‘disgusting.’ ‘We should be inspiring women who’ve been raped to press charges [and] we should have a system that takes them seriously,’ Geiss tweeted. ‘We should have a world where men don’t think they’re entitled to women’s bodies.’”
HuffPost: GOP Gov. Candidate: Rape Victims Shouldn’t Get Abortions Because Fetus Could Become POTUS
- “Soldano, citing a friend whose mother was the victim of a gang rape, claimed people who become pregnant from sexual assault were put “in this moment” by God and that the DNA of the fetus should be protected.”
- “Garrett Soldano, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Michigan, said this week that rape victims shouldn’t get abortions because God may have intended for them to give birth to the next president of the United States.”
Deadline Detroit: GOP Candidate For Michigan Governor Urges Rape Victims To Be “Heroic” And Give Birth
- “For Soldano, opposing rape victims’ abortions is part of a campaign “guided by our shared conservative values and faith in our Creator,” as his site lays out […]”
Newsweek: GOP Candidate Condemns Abortion for Rape Victims, Says Fetus Could Be ‘Next President’
- “‘They don’t know,’ he said, speaking of such women, ‘that little baby inside them may be the next president, may be the next person that changes humanity, may get us out of this situation may be in the future. We don’t know that,’ Soldano added.”
The Independent: GOP candidate says rape victims shouldn’t have abortions because God may want them to give birth to the next president
- “Mr Soldano recently polled at 33.2 percent against Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer on 49.6 percent in a WDIV/Detroit News poll, and she is widely expected to be elected for a second term in November.”
- “Soldano’s remarks on abortion were reminiscent of the late Republican Rep. Todd Akin’s comments during his 2012 Senate campaign that ‘legitimate rape’ rarely results in pregnancy. Akin said ‘the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.’”
TPM: GOP Candidate Argues Pregnant Rape Survivors Should Be ‘Inspired’ By Situation ‘God Put Them In’
- “Instead of letting survivors of rape get abortions, “how about we start inspiring women in the culture to let them understand and know how heroic they are, and how unbelievable that they are, that God put them in this moment?” Soldano suggested.”
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Published: Feb 1, 2022 | Last Modified: Feb 4, 2022