Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Herschel Walker calls for ‘no exception’ abortion ban

The ex-American football star holds a commanding polling advantage ahead of Tuesday’s Georgia Republican Senate primary

Andrew Feinberg
Washington, DC
Monday 23 May 2022 10:18 EDT
Comments
Election 2022 Georgia Walker
Election 2022 Georgia Walker (2022 Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Herschel Walker, the ex-American football star turned Georgia Republican senate candidate, has declared his support for a complete ban on abortion without exceptions for survivors of rape or incest, or exceptions for when such a procedure might be necessary to save a woman’s life.

Mr Walker, who will most likely win Tuesday’s Georgia Republican senate primary and will be the Republican Party’s pick to take on Senator Raphael Warnock in the November general election, told reporters last week there was “no exception” in his mind that he would support if voting on such a ban, which would force women to carry unwanted pregnancies to term.

“Like I say, I believe in life. I believe in life,” he said.

A spokesperson for Mr Walker’s campaign also told The Hill the former NFL star is “pro-life” and said he would “not apologise” for his position.

While his stance on abortion is not uncommon for candidates seeking office on the GOP ticket, the issue has taken on new salience in the wake of the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning the landmark Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey cases and permitting states to enact laws which would force women to remain pregnant against their will.

While Democrats in Congress have pushed to enact legislation codifying a women’s right to choose to end an unwanted pregnancy into law, Senate Republicans and Democratic senator Joe Manchin have blocked consideration of the House-passed Women’s Health Protection Act.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in