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In a resurfaced 2017 interview, Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey compared abortion to the Holocaust. In the video, while vying for an Illinois House seat in 2017, the 56-year-old politician, who is now the state’s senator, opposes abortion rights, especially in situations of incest or r*pe. The sole exception, he said in a Facebook video posted on October 12, 2017, was permitting abortions if the mother’s life is endangered. He made the following connection between abortion and the Holocaust:

“I think abortion is one of the worst injustices of our day, and I believe it will be one of the greatest horrors for the rest of time.” The attempted genocide of Jews during WWII pales in comparison to the number of lives lost due to abortion after its legality.”

Bailey’s contentious video became public because Forward republished it in an article. He was born and raised in Louisville, Illinois, according to his website. Darren Bailey is an Illinois state senator who represents the 55th legislative district. Former American President Donald Trump endorsed him in the Republican race. Bailey was able to defeat his Democratic opponent, J.B. Pritzker, in part because Democratic organizations expected him to be a weaker candidate in the general election.

Darren Bailey attempts to justify his statement on abortion and the Holocaust.

Eliza Glezer, a spokesman for Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, requested Bailey for a statement to his “violent antisemitism” and “hateful words” after his 2017 video went viral.

In an interview with CBS News, she stated:

“To equate a woman’s physical liberty with the systematic mass slaughter of Jews is antisemitic and dishonorable.” Darren Bailey’s abhorrent claim that a woman deciding her own reproductive destiny is worse than the Nazi slaughter of six million Jews offends Illinoisans worldwide.”

The Midwest branch of the Anti-Defamation League also made a statement after Bailey’s video went viral. The group posted on their Twitter account:

“The Holocaust and abortion are not synonymous.” Such remarks have no place in public debate. They are profoundly disrespectful and do an enormous injustice to the millions of Jews and other innocent victims who were murdered by the Nazis.”

Following the outpouring of criticism, Bailey told the news source Forward that he did not want to “diminish” the atrocities of the Holocaust.

“There is no comparable human catastrophe to the Holocaust.” In no way was I intending to minimize the Holocaust’s crimes or its blot on history. I intended to stress the sadness of millions of newborns dying. I support and have spoken with many members of Illinois’ Jewish community, and I look forward to working with them to make Illinois a safer and more affordable environment for everyone.”

For the forthcoming general election in November 2022, Darren Bailey will face off against Pritzker, the state’s third Jewish governor.

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