He even shared a story of an alleged mentor who found out later in life that his birth mother had been raped by several men in a subway station.
“It kind of like tore out his heart when he found that out, but then he started to really appreciate and understand what his birth mother went through, that she had the courage to deliver him,” Soldano said. He claimed learning of his mother’s traumatic past inspired this mentor to help thousands of people improve their lives.
He is now rightfully facing massive backlash for his controversial comments, which diminish the trauma survivors face.
Democratic Michigan Sen. Erika Geiss called his comments “disgusting” and said: “We should be inspiring women who’ve been raped to press charges [and] we should have a system that takes them seriously. We should have a world where men don’t think they’re entitled to women’s bodies. We should have a world where [people] respect #ReproRights.”
Soldano describes himself as a practicing Christian. According to his website: he “will do everything in my power to protect life and push back against the abortion lobby in Lansing and President [Joe] Biden's radical anti-life agenda. Abortion providers shouldn't receive our hard-earned tax dollars. Pregnancy centers and organizations that help mothers choose life need our support."
Given his comments, it’s no surprise this isn’t Soldano’s first time saying something controversial. Two years ago, a Change.org campaign was started to revoke his chiropractic license after he reportedly spread “COVID-19 misinformation.”
“Chiropractor Garret Soldano has created a Covid-19 misinformation and anti-social distancing group titled ‘Michiganders against excessive quarantine,”' the petition said. “This group thrives on conspiracy theory, supports disregard of social distancing orders, and removes members that challenge their attempts to nullify the importance of social distancing if the fight against Covid-19.”
According to the Detroit News, Soldano was also banned from YouTube for spreading misinformation about the pandemic. Of course, COVID-19 misinformation and being anti-lockdown are part of Soldano's campaign.
In response to the video, Ron Owens, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s political director, called Soldano’s words “dangerous.”
“Unfortunately, he’s not the only one with extreme views like this — every candidate in the GOP primary has said they will undermine a woman’s right to choose,” Owens said on Twitter.
There seems to be a trend of Republican candidates giving ill-informed interviews about abortion rights. According to The Washington Post, during his campaign for U.S. Senate, former Rep. Todd Akin said in an interview that “legitimate rape” rarely causes pregnancy. He added that “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Akin later apologized and said he regretted making those comments before dying in 2021. Others have made similar comments. While some regret them, others have stood their ground in ignorance.
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