Like Jim Harbaugh or not, you have to give the University of Michigan football coach credit for boldly speaking out against abortion last month and exposing himself to intense public criticism.
Harbaugh defended the sanctity of human life while speaking at a pro-life fundraiser on July 17 in Plymouth, Michigan, also attended by Father John Riccardo, a priest from the Archdiocese of Detroit who hosts a popular program on Catholic radio.
“I believe in having the courage to let the unborn be born,” Harbaugh said, as reported by Detroit Catholic, the archdiocese’s news outlet. “I love life. I believe in having a loving care and respect for life and death.
“My faith and my science are what drive 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 acknowledged the tensions that emerged in this country after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
“Passions can make the process messy, but when combined with respect, it ultimately produces the best outcomes,” Harbaugh said at the banquet, according to Detroit Catholic. “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. 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.”
Not surprisingly, the sharks immediately descended on him. Abortion-supporting fans, mainstream media members, academics and athletes condemned the Catholic coach for his comments.
Some said his employment at the University of Michigan should be questioned because his employer supports abortion “rights.” Several players shared in interviews that they believed in a woman’s right to “choose.”
Others thought his comments would be a deterrent in attracting high school athletes to play for the Wolverines. Recruiting is the lifeblood of college athletics, and there’s a school of thought that the mothers of prospects might have a problem with what Harbaugh said about life.
To his credit, he didn’t back down during a follow-up interview with ESPN. Questioned about his pro-life statements, Harbaugh explained how he relates to his players and what he and his wife would do if a player or staff member was facing a pregnancy and considering abortion.
“I’ve told (players) the same thing I tell my kids, boys, the girls, same thing I tell our players, our staff members. I encourage them if they have a pregnancy that wasn’t planned, to go through with it, go through with it,” Harbaugh told ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski in an interview.
“Let that unborn child be born, and if at that time, you don’t feel like you can care for it, you don’t have the means or the wherewithal, then (wife) Sarah and I will take that baby.”
He went on to say that “the abortion issue is one that’s so big that it needs to be talked about. It needs serious conversation. What do you think? What do I think? What do others think?
“It’s a life-or-death type of issue. And I believe in, and I respect, people’s views. But let’s hear them. Let’s discuss them because there’s passion on both sides of this issue. So, when you combine that with respect, that’s when the best results come. … (I’m) just contributing to that conversation and that communication, which I think is really important, in my opinion.”
You can’t argue with that. Unfortunately, abortion procurators have devilishly tricked women into the belief that disposing of a child allows them to be successful in life and eliminate the burden of raising that child.
Harbaugh begged to differ, saying at the Big Ten media days in late July that abortion is “the most horrendous thing I could possibly conceive.”
He’s right. Dismembering a child in the womb is inhumane, and if you disagree, just watch a video about the procedure and try not to weep. But abortionists don’t want the public to see what really happens.
Harbaugh’s remarks are not a surprise. He hasn’t shied away from hot-button topics. In 2020, he spoke out after George Floyd’s death, participated in an anti-police brutality march and has supported controversial former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
All of this won’t help Harbaugh win games at Michigan. And that’s how a coach is ultimately judged.
His teams were 0-6 against nemesis Ohio State until finally breaking through with a win last year and going on to claim the Big Ten championship.
Now, Ohio State football fans might not want to acknowledge that the coach of the team’s fiercest rival said something highly commendable, but that’s exactly what he did.
On the Ohio State side, a spokesman for the football program did not respond to a Catholic Times request asking Buckeyes coach Ryan Day for a response to Harbaugh’s comments or to offer an opinion on abortion.
No doubt Day wants to avoid controversy. But that’s not Harbaugh.
In this game of life, we need more men and women with the same type of courage.
“You get to change hearts by fighting for what you stand for,” he said.