Jordan Peterson: Abortion, not gun violence, is the leading killer of children in America

06/24/2024 / By Laura Harris

Canadian clinical psychologist and political commentator Jordan Peterson has asserted that abortion is the leading cause of child fatalities in the United States.

Peterson took to social media to make this strong, pro-life statement in a rebuke to Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who on June 14 claimed that gun violence is the primary cause of child fatalities in America.

Tlaib took her outrage on X over a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a ban passed during the administration of former President Donald Trump on rifle “bump stocks,” which are devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire more rapidly. The ban was initially implemented following the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, during which bump stocks were used to aid in the death of 58 people.

“Gun violence is already the leading cause of death for children and teens in our country. This will make mass shootings deadlier. SCOTUS has blood on its hands. This unhinged Supreme Court needs to stop legislating from the bench,” Tlaib posted on X.

The next day, Peterson responded: “Nope, It’s abortion Hands down By at least an order of magnitude.”

Peterson’s remarks quickly garnered support from pro-life advocates, including Campaign Life Coalition (CLC).

“@jordanbpeterson must be pro-life. He recognizes that 1) human life exists in the womb 2) and that ending that life via abortion is killing. Official Canadian government stats make it clear that Dr. Peterson is right that abortion is the leading cause of death in Canada,” Pete Baklinski, the communications director at CLC, wrote on X.

Recorded deaths due to firearms and abortions support Peterson’s claims

The statistics appear to support Peterson’s claim when considering the sheer numbers.

In 2021, the U.S. recorded 2,571 child deaths due to firearms, translating to a mortality rate of 3.7 deaths per 100,000 children. This figure marks a 68 percent increase in deaths since 2000 and 107 percent since a recent low of 2013.

But in that same year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 625,978 abortions in 46 states and the District of Columbia. This marks a massive increase from 597,355 reported abortions in 2020 and 607,720 in 2019 for the same 46 states and Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, the Guttmacher Institute annual report for 2020 stated that there were 930,160 abortions nationwide, including all 50 states and Washington, D.C., up from 916,460 in 2019. (Related: Abortions in the U.S. HAVE INCREASED since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.)

This discrepancy between figures stems from the different data collection approaches. The CDC relies on voluntary reporting from state health agencies, including separate data for New York City and the District of Columbia, but does not receive information from California, Maryland, New Hampshire or New Jersey.

On the other hand, the Guttmacher Institute contacts every known abortion provider directly, including clinics, hospitals and physician offices and supplements its data with estimates for non-responding providers. This comprehensive approach by Guttmacher generally results in higher numbers than those reported by the CDC.

Both the CDC and Guttmacher Institute’s figures focus solely on legal, induced abortions performed in clinical settings or with abortion pills dispensed from certified facilities, excluding those obtained outside clinical environments.

Watch the video below about Dr. Jordan Peterson being condemned on social media for talking about vaccines, climate and transgenderism.

This video is from the A Verdade Liberta channel on Brighteon.com.