Why Vivek Ramaswamy’s Latest Soundbite About Black Babies Doesn’t Add Up
Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy built much of his political brand on divisive rhetoric bound to spark debate. His latest viral comment about the abortion rate within the Black community in Chicago is no exception.
The MAGA Republican—after winning his primary and securing a slot on the November ballot—has been the topic of much discussion after a resurfaced interview clip from 2023 shows Ramaswamy taking direct aim at Black communities in Chicago and what he suggests is an abortion crisis.
“A Black baby is probably safer in the inner streets of Chicago than in the womb of his own Black mother,” Ramaswamy said on his podcast with guest author Adam Coleman. “I think that that’s actually a problem, and it’s directly the product of what Margaret Sanger envisioned.”
The comment couldn’t have come at a better time! Ramaswamy is campaigning for Ohio governor, and as you could probably expect, Black folks online had plenty of thoughts.
“It’s crazy how humans beings can think like this. Meanwhile his own base is asking for him and his wife to be deported and are hurling racial slurs at him,” @HiiiPowerRevo wrote on X.
Ramaswamy’s comments were intended to highlight racial disparities in abortion rates and reinforce his opposition to abortion. Instead, he’s reignited criticism from opponents, accusing the former presidential candidate of using inflammatory rhetoric and oversimplifying racial issues.
“Well he just lost Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, and Cleveland. Anything else, forehead?” @AkilahObviously tweeted.
At the center of Ramaswamy’s argument is a statistic frequently cited by anti-abortion advocates: Black women have abortions at higher rates than other women. But while researchers generally agree that abortion rates among Black women are higher, experts attribute those disparities to factors the Ohio candidate completely negated, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Access to health care, poverty disparities, unintended pregnancy rates and systemic inequities are all cited—not race itself.
And since we’re on the topic of race, plenty of folks online accused Ramaswamy of pandering to white, conservative America in efforts to be “closer to whiteness.”
“And you’ll never be the white man you think you are,” @ZPManInTheWall said.
To zone in on Black babies in Chicago was a calculated move. We previously told you, President Donald Trump claimed the city was the “most dangerous” in America. But statistics show a different story.
Other cities like Memphis, New Orleans and Kansas City are among the many that rank higher than Chicago on the crime index. Meanwhile, violent crime in Chicago has reached its lowest in over a decade. So, while Ramaswamy’s comparison between abortion and violent crime in Chicago perpetuates the city’s negative reputation, his statement creates a stark contrast between two unrelated concepts: abortions and the risk of a child becoming the victim of violent crime.
While Chicago continues to struggle with gun violence, the overwhelming majority of Black children born in the city are not homicide victims. Likewise, most Black mothers do not have abortions.
For supporters, the comment reflects Ramaswamy’s willingness to speak bluntly about abortion and challenge political taboos. For everyone else, however, it follows a familiar pattern of attention-grabbing statements designed to provoke political conflict.
Ramaswamy will face Democrat Amy Acton in what several recent polls have shown is a neck-and-neck race. The broader question for Ohio voters may be whether such rhetoric is enough to energize the conservative base and propel Ramaswamy to the governor’s mansion.
But as the race enters its next phase, eyes are on the Republican to see if his controversial remarks will alienate the suburban and independent voters likely needed to secure his win.
