WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) – Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) responded to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen’s suggestion that women need abortion to succeed by expressing his gratitude for his mother, who raised him despite difficult circumstances.
On Tuesday, while testifying before the Senate Banking Committee, Yellen claimed that Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which imposed abortion on demand across the U.S., increased women’s participation in the workforce.
Scott asked Yellen to clarify if she meant that “ending the life of a child is good for the labor force participation rate?”
“One aspect of a satisfying life is being able to feel that you have the financial resources to raise a child, that the children you bring into the world are wanted, and that you have the ability to take care of them,” Yellen responded.
“In many cases abortions are of teenage women, particularly low income, and often black, who aren’t in a position to be able to care for children, have unexpected pregnancies, and it deprives them of the ability, often, to continue their education,” she continued.
“I’ll just simply say that as a guy raised by a black woman in abject poverty, I am thankful to be here as a United States senator,” Scott responded.
The American Dream is one of hope and opportunity. We should be having conversations about economic policies that ensure everyone—including single moms and their kids—have access to that dream. Sec. Yellen’s comments today don’t meet that mark. pic.twitter.com/DqumCuggHs
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) May 10, 2022
He stressed “the importance of understanding the reality that even during tough financial times, in households like the one where I was raised, there is still hope.”
“My circumstance is like so many others…millions of kids being raised in poverty by single-parent households who happen to be black. Telling black teenage moms that there is only one alternative for them is a depressing and challenging message,” he continued.
Scott further pointed out that the “rate for abortion to teenage moms is the lowest ever; the New York Times says it’s under 10%.”
“There’s hope because we’ve seen the consequences of good policies and unfortunately, we’ve seen the consequences of bad policies,” he continued.
Abortion significantly affects the African-American population, with 38.4% of U.S. abortions in 2019 committed on black babies, although they are only around 14% of the population.