NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson admits to paying for abortion: 'No one is too far gone to be saved'

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, March 24, 2022

The pro-life lieutenant governor of North Carolina has responded to reports highlighting an abortion he paid for in 1989, saying in a video Thursday that it was a decision he lives with every day and why he is so staunch in his views on abortion. 

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Republican elected to the post in 2020, has used his platform as an elected official to become an outspoken advocate for the pro-life movement.

But on Tuesday, a Twitter user posted a screenshot of Robinson indicating in an old post on his personal social media page that he once paid for a woman to abort his unborn child decades earlier. Axios reported on the admission Wednesday.

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Robinson elaborated on the circumstances of the abortion in a Facebook video Thursday. Appearing alongside his wife, Yolanda, Robinson announced that over 33 years ago, before they were married and had children, “we had an abortion.”

“It was the hardest decision we have ever made, and sadly, we made the wrong one,” Robinson said. “This decision has been with us ever since. It’s because of this experience and our spiritual journey that we are so adamantly pro-life. We know what it’s like to be in that situation, and we know the pain that an abortion causes.”

Robinson delivered a message to “everyone that has had this experience [and] carries that burden,” informing them that “we want you to know [that] you are not alone.” He also touched upon the power of forgiveness.

“We have a Savior who forgives us of our sins [and] offers us grace,” he continued. “No one is perfect, but no one is too far gone to be saved. We felt the need to speak with you directly because this issue transcends politics. Our hope is that by telling our story, that it may change the lives of others.”  

In an Aug. 9, 2012, Facebook post on his personal account, Robinson asked: “How can so many people’ Praise God’ with their mouths then vote for a man who supports gay marriage and abortion with their hands?”

While the then-private citizen did not mention him by name, the post’s timing less than three months before the 2012 presidential election implies he may have been referring to then-President Barack Obama.

Robinson’s post elicited strong reactions, including one suggesting that Robinson get off his “high horse” and not “judge” those who have had abortions. Robinson pushed back on the idea that he was on a “high horse.”

“I’m not saying abortion is wrong cause I said so. It’s wrong cause God says so. It’s wrong when others do it, and it was wrong when I paid for it to be done to my unborn child in 1989,” he wrote.

Robinson brought up his previous involvement in an abortion in a comment responding to another one of his Facebook posts about a month later. The post featured a picture depicting a late-term abortion. Robinson asked, “What kind of HORROR movie is this?”

“Oh wait, this is what late term abortion really looks like!!! If I did this to my dog’s puppies I’d be the lead story on Fox 8 6 o’ clock news,” he stated. Robinson appeared to receive pushback for this Facebook post as well, although some of the “7 comments” posted in reaction to are no longer visible.

In one of his responses to the now-deleted comments, Robinson once again admitted to and apologized for paying for an abortion decades earlier.

“This has nothing to do with politics. It’s about morality,” he wrote. “Abortions like this one are barbaric.”

“And by the way I saw your comment on my other post and I intend to keep pointing those fingers at me first. Abortion is wrong. It’s wrong when others do it and it was wrong when I (YES I) paid to have MY own child aborted in 1989,” he declared.

While Robinson’s previous comments invited allegations of hypocrisy from his critics, pro-life groups have come to the lieutenant governor’s defense.

The North Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition issued a statement in support of Robinson Thursday, remarking that the organization was “thankful for the transparency communicated by Lt. Governor Mark Robinson’s difficult abortion decision over 30 years ago.”

“Some of North Carolina’s most effective and outspoken pro-life advocates are those who fully understand the emotional, physical, and spiritual impacts of abortion because they have personally received or supported an abortion,” the statement added. “Through prayer, healing, and forgiveness, many former abortion clinic workers, OBGYN doctors, mothers, and fathers have transformed their abortion regret into a mission to diligently advocate for the unborn.”

After expressing gratitude for “the unwavering commitment from Lt. Governor Robinson to protect life, including the unborn,” the North Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition shared video footage from one of Robinson’s speeches that reflected his current position on abortion.

“It’s a shame before the Almighty that there are politicians who speak more vehemently about abortion than there are some pastors who shy away from the issue because they’re afraid they might lose a few dollars out of the collection plate,” he said.

Additionally, Robinson described abortion as “a scourge that needs to be run out of this land” and proclaimed that “the life in the womb is as important as the life in your living room.” He maintained that “the time for laying down on this issue ... is over.”

In a statement to Axios, the North Carolina Values Coalition offered a similar analysis, stressing that “People who have walked through the pain of abortion in some way can be the strongest advocates for the unborn after that experience.”

“We haven’t heard his story yet, but what we do know is today Lt. Governor Robinson is genuine in his commitment to protect life,” the North Carolina Values Coalition added. 

Robinson is not the only outspoken pro-life activist who has personal experience with an abortion.

Toni McFadden, who had an abortion in high school that resulted in serious complications, converted to Christianity after her experience and has since become a pro-life advocate.

Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director whose traumatic abortion experience was depicted in the film “Unplanned,” now leads a ministry called And Then There Were None, which seeks to help workers in the abortion industry who want to leave their careers behind.

Robinson, the first African American lieutenant governor in North Carolina’s history, is widely considered a top candidate for the Republican nomination for the state’s 2024 gubernatorial election.

According to audio obtained by the left-wing advocacy group Right Wing Watch, Robinson insisted that he was “about 95 percent sure we’re gonna run for governor.”