N.C.’s anti-abortion lieutenant governor once paid for an abortion, according to old Facebook posts

Why it matters: Robinson has surged to the front of the list of prospective GOP candidates for governor in 2024, while repeatedly emphasizing his opposition to abortion as a speaker at anti-abortion rallies and other political events.

• In a speech at the North Carolina GOP’s 2021 state convention, Robinson reportedly said that once a woman is pregnant, “it’s not (her) body anymore.”

Driving the news: A Twitter user shared a screenshot Tuesday of the 2012 comment, along with Robinson’s original Facebook post on what appears to be his personal account. In the post, he asked, “How can so many people ‘Praise God’ with their mouths then vote for a man who supports gay marriage and abortion with their hands,” in reference to former President Barack Obama.

• In a separate comment, also in 2012, Robinson made the same claim, while saying it was wrong for him to have paid for the abortion.
• “​​It’s wrong when others do it and it was wrong when I ( YES I ) paid to have MY own child aborted in 1989,” he wrote.

Worth noting: Robinson’s office did not respond to numerous calls, texts and emails from Axios Tuesday or Wednesday, asking about the post and Robinson’s personal Facebook account and their authenticity. But the lieutenant governor himself has gone live from the account many times.

• WRAL posted a story about the comments Wednesday morning.
• A spokesperson for the conservative NC Values Coalition weighed in Wednesday, telling Axios in an email: “People who have walked through the pain of abortion in some way can be the strongest advocates for the unborn after that experience. We haven’t heard his story yet, but what we do know is today Lt. Governor Robinson is genuine in his commitment to protect life.”

The big picture: This isn’t the first of Robinson’s previous controversial comments to have been unearthed since he began his political career. His fame grew after a 2018 viral video from a Greensboro City Council meeting in which he advocated for gun rights.

• Robinson also faced calls to resign after a video surfaced of him calling “transgenderism” and homosexuality “filth” in a now widely circulated speech he gave to Asbury Baptist Church last June.
• Still, Robinson remains one of the most popular Republicans in the state, and much of his base takes a hard-line stance on abortion.

Speaking about other Facebook posts and comments he’s made, Robinson told WRAL before his election, “I’m not ashamed of anything that I post.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comments from the NC Values Coalition.