A Jesuit priest recently suggested there is a link between white nationalists and the anti-abortion movement, prompting a backlash from some Catholics. 

According to CatholicVote, celebrity Jesuit priest Father James Martin shared an opinion piece on Twitter that was published by The Guardian and written by Moira Donegan, who CatholicVote calls a "leftist opinion columnist." Martin's tweet noted that the pro-life movement and white supremacy "have always been closely linked." Martin shared the article and added, "Pro life should not mean being a white nationalist."

The tweet offended a number of pro-life supporters, who criticized Martin's comments.

"This is a ridiculous claim, and it’s shameful that a Catholic priest would share such a thing about the March for Life," Jerry Dunleavy of the Washington Examiner wrote, according to CatholicVote.

CatholicVote argues that Donegan's opinion piece had little evidence to support its claim.

"Hardly needs to be said, but the target of this tweet is obviously not white nationalists — it’s the pro life movement," CatholicVote President Brian Burch said. "Is he auditioning to be chaplain of Planned Parenthood? This is a pathetic insult to the hundreds of thousands of pro-life young people who braved freezing cold to march. This is a new low for a priest well known for shameless slanders."

Critics have denounced Martin for using his platform to "slander" pro-lifers and fellow Catholics. They say that as a highly-visible figure, his comments could be damaging to the anti-abortion movement.

In a 2020 editorial published by the Arizona Capitol Times, Rep. Walter Blackman (R-AZ) wrote that black women account for 14% of the childbearing population and 36% of all abortions. Citing a 2011 report by the Centers for Disease Control, he wrote that more than 19 million black babies have been aborted since abortion was legalized and that black women are five times more likely than white women to get an abortion. Almost 80% of Planned Parenthood’s abortion facilities are located in minority communities.

A 2019 CDC Abortion Surveillance report found that black women accounted for 38.4% of abortions, which was the most out of any race group. Non-Hispanic white women recorded 33.4%.

On Jan. 21, tens of thousands of people marched in support of the pro-life movement at the 49th annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., according to Heavy.