A Republican candidate for Ohio senator believes that women don’t actually need abortions, just someone to lift heavy things such as strollers for them.
Entrepreneur Bernie Moreno is one of three men running to face off against Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown in the fall. During a discussion with all Republican primary candidates Monday night, the moderator asked the men for their stance on abortion and reproductive rights.
Moreno said his daughter had recently flown home after visiting him. “Mom carrying what looks like an F1 team-worth of equipment,” Moreno said. “People helped her on that plane. Helped put the stroller away, helped her with her seat.”
“Those are the kinds of things that we can do,” he said. “Let’s be a pro-mom, pro-family policy.”
So apparently, Moreno has just volunteered to personally help every parent lift heavy strollers and navigate logistically complicated situations.
Ummm…
— Nick Knudsen ???????? (@NickKnudsenUS) February 20, 2024
Last night OH GOP Senate candidate Bernie Moreno implied women don’t need abortions as long as they have help putting the stroller in the overhead bin on a plane.
(Oh and he also doubled down his support for a national abortion ban.)
Everyone in #Ohio should see this. pic.twitter.com/jYRMlXK9RG
In all seriousness, Moreno is technically not wrong. If Republicans are going to force people to have children, then lawmakers need to put systems in place to help care for those children. Unfortunately, the GOP seems dead set on making childrearing harder.
Republicans nationwide are cutting back on free school lunch programs for lower-income families. And Moreno’s fellow Ohio Republicans have banned gender-affirming care for transgender and nonbinary teenagers, despite the fact that those treatments help reduce depression and suicidality in LGBTQ children.
Moreno may also find that his opposition to abortion is pretty unpopular with Ohio voters. In November, people overwhelmingly voted to enshrine abortion protections in the state constitution. The result was a massive blow to Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who had championed the anti-abortion side of the referendum and who is running against Moreno for the Republican Senate nomination.
