What did Jim Harbaugh say about unplanned pregnancies?
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh offered a solution to players, staff and family who were amid an unplanned pregnancy after speaking at a Right to Life event.
The University of Michigan kick off their season in a little more than a month, and their head football coach, Jim Harbaugh, is making headlines already. The news doesn’t come off of the practice grounds or in the press conference room, it comes from a political event held in Plymouth, Michigan.
Harbaugh spoke at a Right to Life even last week
Harbaugh was not hesitant when asked to talk about unplanned pregnancies and abortion shortly after he spoke at the Plymouth Right to Life event last week.
On June 24th the U.S. Supreme Court denied the right to abortion almost 50 years after Roe vs. Wade’s verdict was read in 1973. Although the Supreme Court ruled against abortion, it is still legal in the state of Michigan, despite Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s lawsuit looking to repeal the the law in any circumstance other than to save a pregnant women’s life.
ESPN caught up with the former San Francisco 49ers coach in Muskegon, Michigan and the talk wasn’t centered around the Wolverines’ upcoming season. The questions were more centered on the college coaches views, and his willingness to speak up about the issue.
Michigan coach wants more discourse on the matter
“Let’s discuss it,” Harbaugh told ESPN.com. “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.”
Harbaugh has a total of eleven children, seven with his first wife Miah Harbaugh and four with second wife Sarah Feurerborn Harbaugh. While it might seem that the Harbaugh household is at capacity, the Michgan coach says there is still room in the house for anyone one of his players, staff or family who don’t feel fit to raise a child.
“Any player on our team, any female staff member or any staff member or anybody in our family or our extended family ... that doesn’t feel like after they have a baby they can take care of it, we got a big house,” Harbaugh added. “We’ll raise that baby.”
The Wolverines coming off best season in Harbaugh era
While the offer is more than generous, and in line to the Harbaugh’s families beliefs, it seems as though it’s a closed circle solution to a much bigger problem throughout the country.
Harbaugh continued saying, “We need to talk about it. It’s too big an issue to not give real serious consideration to,” Harbaugh said. “What kind of person would you be if you didn’t stand up for what you believe in and didn’t fight tooth and nail for it?”
Harbaugh is known as a fighter. He’s a no nonsense old school brand of coach that is in the process of brining Michigan back to it’s hayday. The Wolverines ended last season with the best record since Harbaugh arrived in 2015 going 12-2, ending the season as the nations third ranked team. They went to the College Football Playoff, but would end up losing to the eventual champion, Georgia Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl.
Michigan’s football season starts on September 3rd when they take on Colorado State in the Big House.