By Riley Dauber
Opinion Editor
Georgia Republican Senator Candidate Herschel Walker is running on a pro-life campaign. And yet, two women have come forward saying that Walker paid for their abortion procedures.
According to Buzzfeed News, in early October, the first woman discussed her relationship with Walker and how he paid for her abortion in 2009. Then, on Oct. 26, a second woman, who is identifying as Jane Doe, said Walker forced her to undergo the procedure in 1994.
While the first woman is the mother of one of Walker’s four children, Doe maintained a six-year affair with Walker while he was married. They met frequently during his successful athletic career, but the relationship grew distant when Walker forced her to have an abortion. He waited outside the building until the procedure was done, according to Doe.
“I was devastated because I felt I had been pressured into having an abortion,” Doe said.
According to ABC News, Doe “decided to come forward after another woman made similar claims that Walker had also pressured her to have an abortion.”
Women speaking up about their experiences with certain political candidates has occurred time and time again.
The public saw it in 1991 when Anita Hill accused US Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment, and again in 2016 when Christine Blasey Ford accused U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual harrassment when they went to high school together.
History repeats itself, and in fact, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham compared the Walker situation to the Kavanaugh trial at a recent campaign event, according to BuzzFeed News.
“Get a celebrity lawyer…to come out and make a wild accusation right before it’s time to make a decision about who should be on the Supreme Court or who should be in the Senate. I’ve seen this movie,” Graham said.
Although these situations often work out for the accused instead of the accusers, the repetition and irony at the core of the Walker situation leads many to wonder if he is fit for the U.S. Senate.
“This is not just about the values of Herschel Walker; this is about the values of every voter in Georgia who decides to vote for him. Because if they’re voting for him, then they are expressing their values that it’s okay to lie, and it’s okay not to have your deeds match your words,” attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing Doe, said.
When Roe v. Wade was overturned this summer, the running joke was that many of the politicians voting to overturn the court case had paid for their mistress’ abortions, showing that they believe they are the exception to the rule.
Turns out, this hypothetical may be true for Walker, who stated in a recent interview with NewsMax, “I’m a Christian. I’m for life. I’ve always been for life…if I was going to vote right now, it would be yes. But I think it should be in the states.”
Walker identifies as pro-life and wants to make abortions illegal, or at least leave the decision up to the states, but he himself has allegedly paid for two women’s procedures. His control over these women’s bodies is evident in both women’s testimonies.
“Herschel Walker says he is against women having abortions, but he pressured me to have one,” Doe said.
His statements in interviews do not match the accusations, and the role the scandal will play in the upcoming midterm election is detrimental when it comes to abortion rights in America.
According to CNBC, Walker is running against current Sen. Raphael Warnock (Ga-D). The upcoming election will determine which direction the swing state will land in, and whether or not the Democrats or the Republicans will hold the majority in the Senate.
Warnock campaign spokeswoman Rachel Petri said, “Today’s…report is just the latest example of a troubling pattern we have seen play out again and again and again. Herschel Walker shouldn’t be representing Georgians in the U.S. Senate.”
Not only does this situation point out how some politicians view women’s rights, but it also shows how willing they are to present a false narrative to the public. Walker seems dedicated to his pro-life platform, and yet does not practice what he preaches.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Photo Caption: Republican Herschel Walker, who’s running for Senator in Georgia, has spoken in interviews about leaving abortion rights up to the states. However, two women have come forward recently saying he paid for their abortions.