Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh said he told players and staff members that if they find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy, he and his wife "will take that baby," according to ESPN.
"Let's discuss it," Harbaugh, a practicing Catholic, told ESPN. "I've told [them] 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. 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 Sarah and I will take that baby."
At a pro-life event he and his wife attended last week in Michigan, Harbaugh said his "faith and my science are what drive these beliefs." When asked about his comments, Harbaugh said he understands this is a hot topic at the moment and welcomes a discussion on the issue. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark ruling from 1973 that had established the right to an abortion access throughout the United States.
"It's a life-or-death type of issue. And I believe in, and I respect, people's views. But let's hear them," the coach told ESPN. "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."
This is not the first time Harbaugh publicly shares his opinion on a social issue. In 2020, he and some players joined an anti-police brutality protest. This was shortly after Harbaugh shared his support for equality and justice on social media in the wake of Floyd's murder. He has also been outspoken in his support of Colin Kaepernick, whom Harbaugh coached during his time with the San Francisco 49ers.
