Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh has boldly spoken out in support of the unborn as he addressed a pro-life event on Sunday in Plymouth, Michigan.
The Big Ten-winning University of Michigan football coach was a featured speaker for the Plymouth Right to Life dinner, Detroit Catholic reported.
Following the theme of the night, “We Were Made to be Courageous,” Harbaugh spoke of how the courage required to speak out and follow convictions.
“I believe in having the courage to let the unborn be born,” Harbaugh said. “I love life. I believe in having a loving care and respect for life and death. My faith and my science are what drives these beliefs in me. Quoting from Jeremiah, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’”
Harbaugh, who is Catholic, spoke about how he had been taught pro-life convictions from a young age and that he still adheres to those beliefs.
“In God’s plan, each unborn human truly has a future filled with potential, talent, dreams and love,” Harbaugh said.
“I have living proof in my family, my children and the many thousands that I’ve coached that the unborn are amazing gifts from God to make this world a better place. To me, the right choice is to have the courage to let the unborn be born.”
Now, with a family of his own and with the players he coaches and the staff he interacts with at the University of Michigan, Harbaugh said his convictions and values inform his relationships.
The coach articulated that he was well aware that not everyone agrees with his perspective on abortion and life, but that he believes it is important to be clear about one’s beliefs.
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The contention over the issue of abortion has grown since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24.
In Michigan, though, abortions are still currently legal after a judge issued an injunction in May against a 1931 law allowing the procedure when “necessary to preserve the life of such woman,” USA TODAY reported.
However, though the issue of abortion is fraught with political and cultural contention, Harbaugh has still been outspoken.
This is not new since, in the past, the Michigan coach has not shied away from taking political stances.
During the beginning of the Colin Kaepernick controversy, Harbaugh said in 2016 that he “support[s] Colin’s motivation. It’s his method of action that I take exception to,” according to Bleacher Report.
In 2017, Harbaugh spoke in Washington about access to justice for low-income Americans and his involvement with the Legal Services Corporation, USA TODAY reported.
Then in 2020, Harbaugh spoke out against the death of George Floyd and attended an anti-police brutality march in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
But Harbaugh’s comments about abortion this week were particularly strong and his support for the pro-life movement seems unwavering.
“Passions can make the process messy, but when combined with respect, it ultimately produces the best outcomes,” Harbaugh said.
“This process has been passionate and messy, but I have faith in the American people to ultimately develop the right policies and laws for all lives involved. I recognize one’s personal thinking regarding morality of a particular action may differ from their thinking on whether government should make that action illegal. There are many things one may hold to be immoral, but the government appropriately allows because of some greater good or personal or constitutional right.
“Ultimately, I don’t believe that is the case with abortion,” Harbaugh continued. “Yes, there are conflicts between the legitimate rights of the mother and the rights of the unborn child. One resolution might involve incredible hardship for the mother, family and society. Another results in the death of an unborn person.”
