An Iowa woman is opening up about her decision to interrupt a recent event with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, when the woman yelled out to advocate for single mothers and abortion access in the case of rape.
Kayla Crist, a single mom from Ottumwa, initially cut Ramaswamy off as he was making remarks at a state GOP reception in Ottumwa on Monday.
"Assault is wrong, protect our women! … I'm not having somebody's kid if they non-consensually rape me!" Crist said, according to a video of the encounter that went viral on social media.
Ramaswamy — a biotech founder who has made a splash in the GOP race, despite polling in the mid-single digits, according to FiveThirtyEight — encouraged Crist to speak and brought her forward, prompting her to continue.
His 4.6% polling average puts him in fourth place behind front-runners Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis leading the race at 49.4% and 21.2%, respectively, and just ahead of Nikki Haley at 4.2%.
MORE: Vivek Ramaswamy's unusual fundraising plan: Supporters get commissions for bringing in donations
Ramaswamy shared video of Monday's encounter on his Twitter account, writing, "I’m a free speech absolutist. Especially for those who disagree with me."
"This is my choice, this is my body," Crist told him at the event. "I've been raising a child by myself for eight years."
Speaking with ABC News, Crist detailed her decision to briefly disrupt Ramaswamy. She said she was at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa to pick up her daughter from a play rehearsal when she happened upon the reception.
A single mother interrupted Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in support of abortion rights in Ottumwa, Iowa, July 10, 2023.Link Lauren
Crist, who said she is still undecided on who she will vote for in the upcoming presidential election, said she attends as many events as she can.
“I like to sit in on presidential candidates and hear what they have to say, whether they're Democrat, Republican, libertarian, whatever. I like to hear different opinions and formulate my own personal opinions based on that,” she said.
Ramaswamy was in the middle of critical comments about the state of the U.S. military and health care afforded to transgender service members when Crist cut him off. (Ramaswamy previously told ABC News that he would not reinstate a controversial Trump-era ban on transgender military members that was reversed under President Joe Biden.)
Crist said to ABC News that she had initially raised her hand to ask a question during the audience Q&A but was approached by two men who said she could not speak as she had not paid to enter the event. A state GOP source maintained to ABC News that Crist "did not have a ticket for the event" and was initially denied the option to ask a question.
MORE: Vivek Ramaswamy says he wouldn't seek to charge Biden if elected president
Crist said she wanted to "strategically" interrupt Ramaswamy in what she described as an effort to stand up for women and trans people. Ramaswamy supports a six-week abortion ban that subsequently passed the Iowa Legislature on Tuesday.
Gov. Kim Reynolds plans to sign that bill into law on Friday at the Family Leadership Summit, a conference hosted by evangelical Christian conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats and his group, the Family Leader, despite efforts from the American Civil Liberties Union to block the signing. The ACLU and others are also challenging the ban in court.
On choosing to speak out at Monday's event, Crist told ABC News: “I think it's important to lift up and be an ally for people who are, you know, maybe not heard all the time. I have friends that are transgender and they're going through a hard time and I feel like they're being unheard."
“I wanted to use that moment to express myself and my freedom of speech, and I know that there was news covering him and he was going to cover an array of people. And I didn't want him to say transgender people should not be able to receive treatments. And I also support the woke,” she said. “It’s basically equality. Everyone should be treated right and people should be able to do what they want with their bodies. If it doesn't affect you, then why worry about it?”
A single mother interrupted Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in support of abortion rights in Ottumwa, Iowa, July 10, 2023.Link Lauren
She also shared more of her own story with ABC News saying, "I didn't know I was pregnant for about two and a half months. And it came as a surprise."
She said she decided to carry her pregnancy to term, raising her daughter without the support of her other parent. This experience is why, she said, she supports "educating kids at a younger age," enforcing child support and also backs organizations like Planned Parenthood.
Ramaswamy remained calm amid the interruption on Monday, calling Crist toward him, prompting her to continue.
He went on to thank Crist, saying, "You're doing one of the most important things … raising more children in this world. Even if we have our disagreements, I want to say thank you for that. So thank you. And part of what it means to live in this country is that we have free speech. We get to speak our minds openly, even if we don't agree on it. So let's actually applaud her for the courage."
Ramaswamy said Monday that he encourages more open conversation about adoption, child care and "sexual responsibility for men."
Crist told ABC News she appreciated his response but tempered that with caution, because he's a politician.
"I thought that he did the right thing, saying, 'Hey, that's courageous, you have the freedom of speech.' But I also thought that he did that for the public. I mean, every politician has to say what they want the people to say or to hear. It will make them look better, right?" she said. "But his words are his words. And if somebody gets emotional because of what he says, because it affects them, it's a consequence of free speech."
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
