‘Thou shall not kill’: Catholic voter calls out Talarico for abortion support

A Texas Catholic questioned Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico on his support for abortion at an Oct. 14 townhall event hosted by CNN and Jubilee, reiterating that Christian moral doctrine considers abortion a sin and the taking of innocent human life.

During the conversation at the event, Talarico had claimed that Scripture does not provide insight to whether abortion is a sin or not.

“The Bible is silent on the issue of abortion,” Talarico said. “It means you and I both have to look at different Scriptures to try to come to a conclusion.”

Jodi Hunt, the Catholic woman questioning Talarico, responded, “The Bible is not silent on abortion. There is the Ten Commandments: ‘Thou shall not kill.’”

The woman’s remarks were met with applause by the audience.

“As Catholics, we take great insult when it’s spouted that way,” she continued.

Hunt is a professor of applied ministry at the University of Dallas. Talarico, who identifies as a Christian, is studying for a master of divinity degree at the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and frequently preaches at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin. He has claimed that his Christian faith inspired him to become involved in politics as a Democrat.

“Jesus is the reason I’m in politics,” he said in a February 2025 interview shortly before launching his Senate campaign.

“Christianity is both spiritual and political, because politics is really just another word for how we treat our neighbors, how we treat each other in a society,” he continued. “Because Jesus gave us two commandments to follow: love God and love neighbor; that that’s what this whole faith boils down to.”

Talarico has a lengthy history of support for abortion, including both his voting record as a Texas state legislator and his public statements. In 2019, he voted “present, not voting” on House Bill 16, which would require physicians to provide life-saving care to babies who survive abortion attempts, and voted against the 2021 Texas "heartbeat bill” and Human Life Protection Act. He also sponsored legislation to repeal pro-life laws and a state constitutional amendment to enshrine a “right” to abortion in Texas.

Appearing on the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast in 2025, the Democratic Senate nominee invoked the Blessed Virgin Mary as biblical support for his abortion promotion, saying that “creation has to be done with consent. You cannot force someone to create,” and citing Mary’s fiat in the Annunciation.

In a May 2026 interview, he further defended his position on abortion by saying that “Jesus never talks about abortion.”

Talarico will face Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican with a pro-life record, in the Nov. 3 midterm election.