Who is Mark Robinson's wife? GOP contender reveals partner had abortion after calling procedure 'murder'

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA: The Republican nominee for North Carolina's gubernatorial election, Mark Robinson, a harsh critic of abortion, disclosed in a new ad that his wife underwent the procedure 30 years ago.

The Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina sat hand in hand with his wife, Yolanda Hill Robinson, in the latest ad, speaking directly to the camera with details about their abortion three decades ago.

"Thirty years ago, my wife and I made a very difficult decision. We had an abortion," Mark said.

He first talked about the abortion in 2012 on Facebook, revealing he paid for his girlfriend-turned-wife to undergo the procedure in 1989, as per WRAL News.

Who is Mark Robinson's wife?

Yolanda Robinson married Mark in 1990, around a year after her abortion. She made history by becoming the first African-American Second Lady of North Carolina when Mark was elected lieutenant governor in 2020. She will be the state's first African American first lady if her husband wins the gubernatorial election in November.

Recently, Yolanda's nonprofit Balanced Nutrition Inc, which was targeted to provide meals for children in the state's licensed daycare facilities, was shuttered after scrutiny of its shortcomings.

In April, she told the clients of Balanced Nutrition that it was difficult for her to continue the federally funded meal program started in 2015 due to her husband's bid for governor, causing her busy life to prevent her from supporting the organization, according to NC's digital magazine The Assembly.

Mark Robinson's abortion revelation contradicts his criticism of the procedure

Recalling the procedure his wife underwent, Mark said it was a "solid pain" between them, and they "never spoke" about it.

"It's something that stays with me forever," Yolanda added.

Nevertheless, the GOP candidate backed the existing abortion restrictions in the Tar Heel State, where the procedure is limited after 12 weeks with exceptions to rape, incest, or the mother's life.

Mark, in the past, made several controversial remarks about abortion, voicing his conservative stand, as per NBC News. For instance, in a 2019 livestream on Facebook, he said, "Abortion in this country is not about protecting the lives of mothers ... It is about killing the child because you weren't responsible enough to keep your skirt down."

Earlier this year, at a campaign event for the GOP primary for the gubernatorial election, Mark said that the abortion limit should be brought down to six weeks from the current 12 weeks. Additionally, in 2018, he described the procedure as "murder" and "genocide" on his personal Facebook page.

Flip-flopping from his earlier stance, he vowed to keep the abortion ban at 12 weeks in the latest ad, claiming it provided "common sense exceptions" and it gave "help to mothers and stops cruel later term abortions."

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, Mark's Democratic opponent, often called out the Republican's position on abortion. In response to the ad, his campaign accused the lieutenant governor of "misleading voters" with his new take on abortion.

Internet slams Mark Robinson over his revelation about his wife's abortion

Netizens blasted Mark for "gaslighting" voters for attempting to buy sympathy votes with an ad about his wife's abortion.

"The gaslighting won’t work. We know who Mark Robinson is," a user wrote.

"Too late big fella…," another remarked.

"So you want some sympathy votes now?" added a user.

"Wow! The lengths some people go through to remain in power. Robinson is an embarrassment to NC. We’re moving forward and not looking back. Bye, Mark," read one response.

"So he was okay getting abortion with zero exceptions but wants to force this on everyone else? How very maga of him," someone else argued.

"So he took advantage of legal abortion when he needed to, but doesn’t believe the rest of us should have the same choices as him and his wife. Sounds like some of that freedumb to me," an individual chimed in.

"He thinks flip flopping is going to make him win," read one remark.

"Wolves in sheep's clothing are still wolves," another user wrote.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.