“Abortion doesn’t protect mothers, it kills babies because they couldn’t keep their skirts down,” says Mark Robinson of North Carolina

During his campaign for governor, North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson sparked controversy when he compared reproductive rights advocates to slavery defenders and described mass killings in America as karmic retribution for the “murder of infants” or a case of “the chickens coming home to roost.”

Robinson noted that as a political candidate, he was warned “not to say abortion is murder.” However, he insists there is no other way to describe it, reiterating, “Abortion is murder.” According to a Rolling Stone review, the Republican gubernatorial candidate's public statements and posts on social media platforms confirm that he has repeatedly called abortion murder.

Robinson's controversial stance on abortion

Robinson is known for holding extreme views on a variety of issues, but his stance on abortion has generated considerable controversy in his recent national campaign. His Democratic opponent has aired commercials cramming as many of Robinson's anti-abortion slogans as possible into a 30-second slot.

“Let's say I were governor and I had a willing legislature. We could pass a law that would not allow abortion for any reason in North Carolina,” he says in one clip. In another, Robinson says, “For me, there is no compromise on abortion. I don't care why or how that child got into that womb.”

In another clip, he says: “Abortion in this country is not about protecting the life of mothers. It's about killing a child because you weren't responsible enough to keep your skirt down.”

Interestingly, Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina – a key swing state in November – has now adopted a new strategy that involves using his wife’s abortion to his advantage.

“Thirty years ago, my wife and I made a very difficult decision. We had an abortion. It was like a massive pain between us that we never talked about,” Robinson says in a recent ad.

“It's something that stays with you forever,” his wife says. Robinson adds, “That's why I stand by our current law, which has common sense exceptions for the life of the mother, incest and rape… When I'm governor, mothers in need will be supported.”

In North Carolina, abortions are banned after the 12th week of pregnancy, with exceptions only in cases of rape, incest, “life-threatening” fetal abnormalities and medical emergencies. Such laws face considerable opposition around the world.

For example, in 2023, there was a strong reaction in the UK when a court sentenced a woman to 28 months in prison for terminating her pregnancy after the legal limit of ten weeks. This came as the Good Law Project informed reporters about a flood of “opaque” funds – donations from anonymous sources – going to anti-abortion groups in the UK.

Robinson has previously downplayed the importance of exceptions to abortion restrictions. In a speech at the 2021 North Carolina Republican National Convention, captured in a video obtained by Rolling Stone, Robinson stated, “There are some things I will not surrender on at all, ever, and one of those things involves the unborn.”

Robinson's uncompromising position on abortion exemptions

He notes that anti-abortion activists are often questioned about their stance in cases of rape or incest, and compares the debate to a debate about seat belts. “I can remember when we were young, arguing about whether we should be required to wear seat belts, or whether we should wear seat belts at all,” Robinson continues.

“And I always remember there was one person who said, 'What if I get stuck on the tracks and my seatbelt doesn't come off?' First of all, if you get stuck on the tracks, that's Darwin. That's none of my business. That's Darwin. You've seen those tracks. If you can't get over that, I can't help you.”

“That's not a good argument because this country is not about a group of people who go for abortion because they were raped or because they were victims of incest,” he added.

“We're talking about a culture that we've created in this society that tells you if you want to feel good, you should go in there, lie down and do your thing. If you get in trouble, it's OK to murder someone to get out of it. That's not – that's not OK.”

“I haven't changed my mind about abortion, but I have changed my approach to it,” Robinson said in a recent radio interview.

Robinson said if he was perceived as standing on a stage, pointing at a young woman and telling her she should not have an abortion, that was not the right approach. Instead, he believed the right approach was to get off the stage, hug the young woman, explain to her why he believes she should choose life, and then ultimately let her make the decision based on the law.

He stressed that he agreed to the ad because he sees it as a matter close to his heart. “And if we want to 'win this issue', if we want to win people over to this issue, we have to show them that the issue is important to us. Because we have to show them how deeply it affects people,” he added.

At a previous event, Robinson called abortion “murder” and described it as “an insult to the Almighty” and “a scourge of humanity.”