HUD Secretary Nominee Ben Carson Did Not Say Abortions “Create Baby Ghosts That Haunt Hospitals”
Following his nomination for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President-Elect Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson has been the subject of a meme floating around the internet, reports Snopes.com.
According to the meme, Carson allegedly said: “Abortions create baby ghosts which haunt the hospitals the abortion was performed in. The baby ghosts then steal medical supplies, which is what drives up medical costs. I know this because I’m a doctor.”
Carson is a retired neurosurgeon and former presidential candidate. He also is pro-life.
However, Snopes noted the lack of references or sources to back up the integrity of this alleged quote. The quote may have originated with a November 2015 Tumblr post that has since been deleted, according to the fact checker. As a result, Snopes labeled the alleged quote “False.”
The quote is out of context with the pro-life position Carson has consistently taken on the political stage.
“I spent my entire career trying to preserve life…even operating on babies in the womb, sometimes operating all night long on premature babies… there is no way you’re going to convince me that they’re not important, that they’re just a mass of cells,” Dr. Carson said in an interview with the National Review.
CNN also covered commentary from Carson on the use of fetal stem cells for medical research and Carson’s views on Planned Parenthood. Carson previously said he does not believe that fetal matter from aborted babies is necessary to advance biomedical research.
Click here to sign up for pro-life news alerts from LifeNews.com
Carson stated, “[Planned Parenthood] doesn’t seem to understand the sanctity of human life and is willing to destroy that.” He further criticized Planned Parenthood for harvesting and selling fetal organs from aborted babies for profit, and has openly called for defunding the abortion organization.
The Washington Times covered an analysis written by Carson in which he described his views on the sanctity of life:
“Several years ago, I was consulted by a young woman who was 33 weeks pregnant and was on her way to Kansas get an abortion. I informed her of the multiple options available to her outside of abortion and she decided to go through with the pregnancy even though the child had hydrocephalus and required neurosurgical intervention after birth a few weeks later. She kept the baby and loves the beautiful child that has resulted.”
“My entire professional life has been devoted to saving and enhancing lives. Thus, the thought of abortion for the sake of convenience does not appeal to me. I have personally met several people who have told me that their mothers had considered abortion, but happily decided against it.”
Carson is a strong pro-life advocate both in public and through his medical career, and he has made many great pro-life statements in the public sphere. But the fake quote about “baby ghosts” is just that – fake.
