Herschel Walker doubles down on denial he paid for ex-girlfriend’s abortion: ‘I’m not backing down’

Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker doubled down on his denial of news reportsthat he paid for an ex-girlfriend’s abortion in his debate with Senator Raphael Warnock.

Mr Walker made the remarks during his debate in Savannah on Friday a week after The Daily Beast reported that he sent a $750 check to an ex-girlfriend. The New York Times later reported that he pressured his ex-girlfriend to have a second abortion in 2011.

But Mr Walker vehemently denied the allegations.

“That was a lie and I’m not backing down,” he said, mentioning how he had difficulty with mental health and wrote about it in a book.

Mr Walker has previously said he opposes abortion bans including in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is endangered.

But Mr Walker said that he supported a bill signed by Republican Governor Brian Kemp that limited abortion to when a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is typically at six weeks, which he said had exceptions.

In response, the moderator asked Mr Warnock if he supported any limitations on abortion.

“I trust women more than I trust politicians,” Mr Warnock said. “And the women of Georgia the women of Georgia deserve a Senator who will stand with them.”

Mr Walker then responded to Mr Warnock’s remarks saying the government shouldn’t be in the room with a doctor and a woman by saying Mr Warnock did not respect the foetus.

“I will remind the pastor that there is also a baby in the room,” he said, calling on Mr Warnock’s career as a pastor. “If Black Lives Matter, why are you not protecting those babies, and instead of aborting those babies, why are you not baptizing those babies?”