Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico faced a sharp correction from Catholic voter Jody Hunt during a Texas town hall Wednesday after saying the Bible does not take a position on abortion. The pointed exchange unfolded during a forum hosted by CNN and Jubilee.

Talarico, a Christian seminarian and state lawmaker, was attempting to explain why he believes his support for abortion rights is compatible with his faith. Hunt, who described herself as a “one-issue voter,” was not persuaded.

Talarico told Hunt that “the Bible is silent on the issue of abortion.” He also argued that “certain policy levers” other than banning the procedure could reduce the number of abortions nationwide.

Hunt allowed the candidate to finish making his case before delivering a blunt biblical rebuttal. Her response cut straight through the carefully packaged political argument and put the focus on one of the 10 Commandments.

Texas voter Jody Hunt: If you cannot provide policies that protect the most innocent among us, the unborn child, how can we trust that you will protect the rest of Texans?

TALARICO: "We're both Christians, and the Bible is silent on abortion." IS THIS TRUE??? https://t.co/UWaiVX1xWj — Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 15, 2026

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“I just want to add that the Bible is not silent on abortion. There is the 10th Commandment: ‘Thou shalt not kill,’” Hunt shot back.

She also made clear that Catholics do not appreciate having their position brushed aside as though Scripture offers no guidance on the subject. “And as Catholics, we take great insult, I guess sometimes, when it’s described that way.”

A Catholic Voter just NUKED James Talarico Live on CNN for Claiming The Bible Is ‘Silent’ on Abortion

“The Bible is NOT silent on abortion, there is the Ten Commandments, ‘Thou shalt not kill’.” Destroyed https://t.co/TAWFY5b5nb — Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 15, 2026

Hunt then turned to Talarico’s proposals for expanded contraception access and what he called “age-appropriate sex education.” She described those ideas as a “very trying thing” for Catholics, particularly when government becomes involved in decisions about how children are taught.

“We believe the parents are the primary educators of our children, and so, one of the things that we really struggle with is having any government interference with how we educate our children,” she said. Hunt acknowledged that the two were unlikely to resolve that disagreement.

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“So I know we’re going to agree to disagree on that, but I do appreciate your comments on tending to the life from the womb to the tomb, and I think that’s one common ground we can come to.” Her response offered a limited point of agreement while leaving no confusion about the profound divide over abortion and parental authority.

Talarico continued defending his position after Hunt’s challenge. He explained that he does not consider terminating a pregnancy to be a violation of the Bible’s fundamental principles.

“If I believed that abortion was murder, that it violated the 10 Commandments, then I wouldn’t support it,” he said. His answer directly rejected Hunt’s application of the commandment against killing to abortion.

Talarico also claimed that the current abortion ban in Texas has resulted in “women dying in emergency room parking lots.” He used that claim to argue that the law’s results conflict with what he considers an authentic opposition to abortion.

“And so, if we are authentically pro-life, I think we should be disturbed by the outcomes of this extreme abortion ban,” Talarico argued. Hunt’s challenge, however, had already exposed the basic religious disagreement at the heart of his position.

The back and forth occurred during a portion of the town hall in which voters were invited onto the stage. Participants sat directly across from Talarico and debated the candidate face to face rather than submitting questions from a distance.

The forum lasted an hour and a half and covered far more than abortion. Talarico also faced questions from voters about his faith, voter ID laws, the national debt, and transgender procedures for minors.

CNN moderator Erin Burnett noted during the event that Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton had declined an invitation to participate. Talarico and Paxton are competing in a Senate race that has drawn attention in a state Democrats have struggled to crack.

A RealClearPolitics average of surveys gives Talarico a 2.6 percentage point polling edge over Paxton in the race. Democrats have not won a Senate contest in Texas since 1988, leaving Talarico to defend both his policies and his religious framing before skeptical voters.

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