Texas Senate Candidate Uses the Annunciation to Defend Abortion on Joe Rogan and Christians Are Not Having It

Did a Texas Senate Candidate Really Use the Bible to Justify Abortion on Joe Rogan?

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience and claimed the Bible supports his pro abortion position. Specifically, Talarico pointed to the Annunciation story from the Gospel of Luke, arguing that because an angel asked Mary for her consent before the incarnation of Jesus, women have a right to reproductive choice.

Talarico stated on the podcast that the angel's interaction with Mary represents "an affirmation in one of our most central stories that creation has to be done with consent. You cannot force someone to create."

Biblical scholars and theologians have responded forcefully. John Stonestreet and Timothy D. Padgett, writing in The Christian Post, argued that Talarico fundamentally misread the text. They noted that the angel Gabriel did not request Mary's permission but rather declared what would happen.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

That is the angel's statement from Luke 1:31. Mary's response was not a grant of permission but an act of submission to God's will: "Let it be to me according to your word."

The authors cited numerous Scripture passages affirming the value of unborn life, including Psalms, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Job. They also pointed to Luke 1, where John the Baptist leaped in Elizabeth's womb at the presence of the unborn Jesus, as evidence of fetal consciousness and personhood.

Stonestreet and Padgett went further, calling the denial of fetal humanity "a Christological heresy," since Jesus Himself existed as fully God and fully human in Mary's womb. They also addressed common misinterpretations of Exodus 21 and Numbers 5, rejecting the claim that either passage supports abortion.

Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, won the Texas Democratic primary on March 3, 2026, defeating U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett. His campaign website advocates codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law.

James Talarico's Biblical Argument for Abortion Falls Apart Under Scrutiny

Multiple Christian organizations and commentators have condemned Talarico's interpretation. The National Right to Life Committee, Answers in Genesis, and The Washington Examiner have all published detailed rebuttals. Critics argue that Talarico's theology selectively distorts Scripture to serve a political agenda rather than engaging honestly with the biblical text.

The Crusader's Opinion

Every single year, abortion kills more human beings than cancer, heart disease, and war combined. And now a man running for the United States Senate has the audacity to twist the holiest moment in all of Scripture, the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, into a campaign talking point for killing babies. Let that sink in.

The angel did not ask Mary's permission. The angel declared the will of Almighty God. And Mary, in an act of faith that echoes through eternity, submitted. That is not "consent" in the way Talarico means it. That is surrender to the Creator of the universe. To twist this into an argument for abortion is not just bad theology. It is blasphemy. And Texas Christians should remember that when they go to the ballot box.

Take Action

• Contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to reject any federal codification of Roe v. Wade. Find your senators at senate.gov.
• Support National Right to Life, the oldest and largest pro life organization in America, defending unborn children since 1968.
• Donate to The Shepherd's Shield to support Christian advocacy and the defense of biblical truth across the world.
• Share this article with fellow believers and start a conversation at your church about how Scripture actually addresses the sanctity of life.
• Pray for James Talarico and all politicians who misuse Scripture, that they would come to know the truth about the God they claim to follow.