Illinois GOP nominee for governor Darren Bailey defends comparing abortion to Holocaust

The Republican nominee for governor in Illinois refused to apologize and claimed that a group of rabbis supported the comparison.

In a radio interview over the weekend, Bailey said that the Jewish community had told him that he was correct. They said, "No, you're actually right."

Bailey said that the attempt to kill the Jews of World War II didn't compare to the life lost with abortion since it was legalized.

A person who is Jewish condemns the comparison.

The press secretary for the campaign said that Bailey's assertion that a woman determining her own reproductive future is worse than the Nazis' genocide of 6 million Jews is offensive to the people of Illinois. In the wake of a massacre against a predominantly Jewish Highland Park, Bailey must answer for his hate speech.

A television ad was released by the campaign.

The ad was released a day after he met with the rabbis. He said that Pritzker was aware of that. The timeliness was correct.

He wasn't sure which group of rabbis he was talking about. The director of government affairs for Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois said that his comments did not reflect their position.

A representative for Bailey did not reply.

Bailey said he is pro-life but conceded that the law in Illinois will not change.

He wants to make abortion unnecessary. We come up with real solutions that we don't have right now.

Bailey compared abortion to the Holocaust, drawing condemnation.

The Anti-Defamation League stated that the Holocaust and abortion are not the same. These types of comments don't belong in public discourse. They are offensive and do a disservice to the millions of Jews who were killed by the Nazis.

It is not okay to compare the Holocaust and a woman's right to choose. It's full stop.

Bailey has caused controversy before. He was in Skokie, Ill., which was forced to cancel its Independence Day parade because of the Highland Park massacre.

Bailey led a group prayer on his Facebook page that was broadcast live, asking for justice to prevail in the case of the shooting. Let's celebrate the independence of this nation first.

He said that the government needed to get corrupt and evil out.

Bailey apologized for suggesting the community celebrate Independence Day.

He apologized if the pain was lessened in any way. I hope we can all come together in prayer and action to address rampant crime and mental health issues.