'It was wrong': North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson says he paid for abortion in 1989

In a Facebook comment from August 2012, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson decried people who "praise God with their mouths" and then vote for politicians who support abortion, adding: Abortion is "wrong when others do it and it was wrong when I paid for it to be done to my unborn child in 1989."

Posted 1:48 p.m. Mar 23, 2022 — Updated 12:16 p.m. Mar 25, 2022

Paul Specht

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Bryan Anderson, WRAL state government reporters,

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Laura Leslie, WRAL capitol bureau chief

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a hard-line conservative who has long spoken out against abortion, said in Facebook comments in 2012 that he paid for the mother of his “unborn child” to have an abortion in 1989.

“I'm not saying abortion is wrong cause I said so it's wrong cause God says so,” the comment linked to Robinson's personal Facebook account said in August 2012. “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.”

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a hard-line conservative who has long spoken out against abortion, said in an Aug. 9, 2012 Facebook comment that he paid for the mother of his "unborn child" to have an abortion in 1989

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a hard-line conservative who has long spoken out against abortion, said in a September 2012 Facebook comment that he paid for the mother of his child to have an abortion in 1989.

Robinson, the highest-ranking state Republican in executive office and an expected gubernatorial candidate, was elected in 2020 on what his campaign calls a “pro-life” platform. Since taking office, he has continued to speak out against abortion at rallies.

“It’s something that I’ve wanted to talk about for years, but there’s confidentiality that I have to be concerned about," he told WRAL in a brief interview Wednesday afternoon. Robinson said he planned to release a more extensive statement about the matter.

News of Robinson's 2012 comments evoked strong responses from social media users Wednesday. Some of Robinson's supporters said he has adequately addressed the event and reformed his values. Critics, meanwhile, argued that Robinson is a hypocrite for vilifying people who want access to the same type of procedure Robinson said he paid for.

At an anti-abortion rally in January 2021, Robinson said, "We allow the murder of the most innocent human beings on earth and we do it with impunity."

At the North Carolina GOP convention in June, Robinson specifically called on fathers to be involved in their child's life.

“Once you make a baby, it’s not your body anymore—it’s y’all’s body. And, yes, that includes the daddy,” he said.

Some anti-abortion activists draw on their personal experiences when speaking about the issue. Apart from the 2012 Facebook comments, WRAL hasn't found any news reports about Robinson discussing a personal connection to someone who had the procedure. The 2012 Facebook comments emerged on Twitter Tuesday and were amplified by Carolina Forward, a liberal advocacy group.

About a month after Robinson's Facebook comment in August 2012, his account mentioned abortion again in responding to a critic.

"I saw your comment on my other post and I intend to keep pointing those fingers at me first," the account said in September. "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."

Axios on Wednesday was the first to report on the September 2012 comment. Its report came after WRAL posted a story about the comments from that August. The Facebook comments remained public and live on Robinson’s Facebook page on Wednesday.

NC GOP spokesman Jeff Moore said the party wouldn't comment because it was "a personal matter."

Democrats used the news to push their position. "Everyone needs access to abortion, even Mark Robinson,” said Rachel Stein, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina Democratic Party. “People from all walks of life—and political parties—have experiences with abortion."

Robinson gained popularity in conservative circles after a speech about gun rights to the Greensboro City Council in 2018 and is known for making controversial statements. Since taking office, he has come under fire for comments about the LGBTQ community. Robinson has also suggested that outlawing abortion should take precedent over other issues.

"We cannot say that 'Black lives matter,' or 'all lives matter,' or 'blue lives matter' until we say 'unborn lives matter,' because that's where we all start," Robinson said at the January 2021 rally.

Robinson has said he's "95 percent sure" he'll run for governor in the 2024 election and is known for his unscripted style of speaking. Some voters may see his involvement in an abortion as a crack in his authentic persona, said David McLennan, a political science professor at Meredith College.

Robinson includes several details of his personal life under the “pro-life” section of his campaign website. For instance, the webpage mentions that Robinson grew up with "an abusive alcoholic father."

“The radical left believes stories like [Robinson’s] should not exist because low income families should abort their babies rather than giving them the opportunity to grow up in suboptimal conditions. As a Christian, Mark will honor the sanctity of life,” the website says.

But it doesn't mention that Robinson has any personal experience with abortion.

"There are many organizations in the state ... that if they decide to make this an issue, that could create problems for him," McLennan said. "Because he does get a lot of his funding from conservative and socially conservative leaning organizations and people."

On the other hand, by electing former Democrat Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, Republican voters have shown they're willing to forgive candidates for their controversial pasts.

"Hypocrisy used to be a disqualifying event, and it's no longer disqualifying," McLennan said, adding that Robinson could use this story to reinforce his credibility on the issue. "Within the faith community and the conservative faith community, that idea of redemption is such a strong message."

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