Jim Harbaugh tells pro-life event in Plymouth: ‘Let the unborn be born’

Jim Harbaugh and his wife Sarah lent their name and endorsement to the right-to-life movement over the weekend, telling a fundraiser in Plymouth that the decision to give birth is “the right choice.”

The Sunday evening event at the Inn at St. John’s, held in conjunction with Plymouth Right to Life and Father John Riccardo of the Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church, billed the Michigan football coach as a special-guest speaker willing to give his “pro-life testimony.”

“I believe in having the courage to let the unborn be born,” Harbaugh told a sold-out crowd, according to Detroit Catholic, the digital news publication for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit.

“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.’”

The appearance comes after the United States Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, the controversial court case that legalized abortion access for women in 1973. The decision on abortion is now up to individual states.

Harbaugh, a practicing Catholic, told the crowd that his pro-life beliefs were rooted in him at a young age by his parents, Detroit Catholic reports — and he acknowledges that not everyone might agree with him on the issue.

“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.”

The Harbaughs were joined at the event by Michigan linebackers coach George Helow, the publication reported. An estimated $100,000 was raised for Plymouth Right to Life, while more than $40,000 was raised for pro-life groups in southeast Michigan. Attendees paid thousands of dollars to attend, and one donor even paid $2,3000 to catch a pass from Harbaugh, a former quarterback.

Sarah Harbaugh, who also spoke at the event, said the couple believes they are speaking out “for the right reasons,” despite suggestions of critical blowback or an impact on recruiting.

“During halftime of a game, talking with the players, I say they are here because they have chosen to be here,” Jim Harbaugh said. “If someone believes in what they stand for, they are choosing to stand for that position, and what kind of person are if you don’t fight tooth and nail for what you stand for? You get to change hearts by fighting for what you stand for.”

Harbaugh has been unafraid to speak out on controversial social issues in the past. He criticized quarterback Colin Kaepernick for kneeling for the National Anthem years ago before ultimately reversing his thoughts, claiming Kaepernick was “on the right side of history.”

During the summer of 2020, Harbaugh marched through Ann Arbor to in honor of George Floyd, the Black man from Minneapolis killed by an over-aggressive police officer.

And yes, Harbaugh has brought up his pro-life stance before. During an April 2020 podcast interview with Jay Nordlinger, senior editor of the National Review magazine, Harbaugh said the COVID-19 pandemic — which had brought the sports world to a halt — acted as a silver lining in how society viewed life.

“This is a message — this is something where, a time, we grow in our faith,” Harbaugh said. “Having reverence and respect for God. You see people taking more a view of sanctity of life. I hope that continues — and not just in this time of criss or pandemic.

“We talk about sanctity of life, yet we live in a society that aborts babies. There can’t be anything more horrendous.”

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