Tim Scott pushes back on 'stunning' Yellen argument that abortion helps single Black mothers

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) on Tuesday pushed back on Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent argument that abortions would benefit single Black mothers in the future. 

Scott, in an op-ed published by The Washington Post on Tuesday, said that he was stunned by Yellen’s remarks on the matter, calling it “callous” and “inhumane.” 

Yellen said during a Senate Banking Committee hearing last week that eliminating the right to an abortion might affect the U.S. economy, noting that little to no access to abortions will deprive low-income and Black people of the ability to complete their education and join the workforce. 

“To me, this was stunning. I thought I had misheard her. Was Yellen making the case for how abortion is good for America’s labor force? But when questioned, Yellen doubled down on what I believe is a callous, inhumane reason for ending innocent life,” Scott wrote in his op-ed. 

Scott also mentioned how his mother, who worked multiple jobs to raise him and his brother, taught them that "there is dignity in all work and dignity in all life,” the Post noted. 

“In that moment, I felt compelled to speak up and speak out on behalf of people like my mom. There are voices today who would tell you that our lives were hopeless,” Scott, the lone Black Republican senator, wrote. “That a life like the one we had as a family was not a life worth living, and that the United States would be better off if people like us didn’t exist at all.”

“We live in a world where words are too often disconnected from the lived experiences of many Americans. Yellen’s cold and robotic reference to the issue of life is just the latest example of that,” Scott added. 

Scott joins a list of prominent figures who have shared their personal experiences and opinions on the subject of abortion after a leaked draft opinion showed the Supreme Court appears poised to overturn the constitutional right to the procedure.