Former football star Herschel Walker, who is now a Georgia Senate candidate, said abortion should be banned without any exceptions, including cases involving rape or difficulties with the mother’s health. The Republican candidate made his controversial comment while speaking to reporters after a campaign speech on Wednesday.

“There’s no exception in my mind,” the former athlete said. “Like I say, I believe in life. I believe in life.”

Speaking to The Hill after facing backlash, Walker said he “is pro-life and will not apologize for that.”

With Georgia’s 2022 primary set for Tuesday, Walker is expected to secure the Republican nomination. He will then face off against Sen. Raphael Warnock in November. 

The topic of abortion has gained increased attention in recent weeks after reporters leaked a draft of a Supreme Court opinion which aims to overturn Roe v. Wade. As Blavity previously reported, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito penned the draft majority opinion, looking to reject the 1973 decision guaranteeing federal constitutional protections of abortion rights.

“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Justice Alito wrote in the draft. “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

Democrats, however, are fighting back.

“The laws Republicans are passing across the country and the nationwide ban Republicans in Washington want are the most extreme of extreme, and the beginning of Republican attempts to use the Supreme Court to turn back the clock to a time when women, people of color and LGBTQ people are all considered second class citizens,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. said.

Walker has received an endorsement from National Right to Life. 

“Herschel Walker will be a most effective champion for unborn babies and their mothers in Washington and he has demonstrated the passion and perseverance it takes to win the critically important Georgia Senate race,” Carol Tobias, the organization’s president, said.  “Georgia deserves a pro-life senator like Herschel Walker who is committed to building a culture of life. Walker’s stance for life stands in stark contrast to the out-of-touch record of Warnock who supports abortion for any reason until birth.”