Abortion makes men ‘more free,’ Pete Buttigieg says

Pete Buttigieg speaks during a online fundraising event Monday night put on by a group called “White Dudes for Harris.” / Credit: Screenshot @TPostMillennial from 7/29/24; last visited 7/31/24

National Catholic Register, Jul 31, 2024 / 15:32 pm (CNA).

Legal abortion makes men freer than they would be without it, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said Monday — leading pro-life advocates to respond that that’s the problem.

Buttigieg, 42, who has been floated as a possible running mate for likely Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, made the comment during an online fundraising event Monday night put on by a group called “White Dudes for Harris.”

“I’m so glad she has made freedom the theme of her campaign, and I think in so many ways that’s what’s at stake. And, yes, women’s freedom is Exhibit A after Donald Trump demolished the right to choose. But, of course, men are also more free in a country where we have a president who stands up for things like access to abortion care,” Buttigieg said.

Pro-life advocates reacting to Buttigieg’s comments said he put his finger on a problem with abortion: sex without responsibility.

“Buttigieg is just admitting what we have always known about abortion: that it empowers men to exploit women,” said Ashley McGuire, senior fellow with The Catholic Association, radio show co-host, and author of the 2017 book “Sex Scandal: The Drive to Abolish Male and Female.”

“Buttigieg’s male ‘freedom’ comes at the cost of women’s freedom. It creates a world where men are ‘free’ to use women and women are coerced into abortions they don’t want to have,” McGuire said by email. “That’s not authentic freedom. It’s just domination by another name.”

Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, called Buttigieg’s comments on abortion “creepy and disgusting.”

“Pete Buttigieg is recklessly suggesting that legal abortion makes men ‘more free’ as they can push a woman into having an abortion in order to shun responsibility,” Tobias told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, by text. “If men are part of creating a new life, they should accept the responsibility that goes along with caring for their child and the child’s mother.”

Emily Davis, communications spokeswoman for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said Buttigieg’s comment applies to her ex-boyfriend, who, she says, tried to pressure her into having an abortion after she unexpectedly got pregnant. She refused and gave birth to the baby.

“Not only have I experienced this firsthand, but every day more women come forward to talk about how they were pressured or coerced into unwanted abortions, often by male partners,” Davis told the Register by email.

“These brave women have a question for the Democrats: Where was our freedom?” Davis said. “So far, the Democrats have no answer. Under abortion czar Kamala Harris, they’re too committed to pushing an all-trimester, no-limits abortion agenda.”

Buttigieg’s list of ‘freedoms’

Buttigieg spoke for almost five minutes during the White Dudes for Harris event Monday. While abortion was first on his list, other examples of freedom Buttigieg offered included contraception, in vitro fertilization, and same-sex marriage as well as Obamacare, climate change, and joining a labor union.

The online event, which also featured actor Jeff Bridges and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, among others, reportedly raised more than $4 million.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Register contacted the press office of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which Buttigieg leads, seeking a response to the pro-life advocates’ criticism of his remarks but did not hear back by deadline.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, and is reprinted here on CNA with permission.