Pete Ricketts, one of the siblings aiming to become the next owners of Chelsea, is aiming to make abortion illegal in his role as the governor of Nebraska.
In the latest development that will upset many supporters, who are demanding that the Ricketts family are not shortlisted to buy the West London club from Roman Abramovich, the 57-year-old Republican has claimed in a statement on his website that "there has never been a more exciting time to be pro-life" after confirming that the state's "Legislature is considering pro-life legislation that will take effect the moment Roe v Wade is undone."
Roe v Wade was a 1973 Supreme Court ruling that protected a woman's right to choose whether to have an abortion without government interference. In June the court is expected to rule on a new case that could overrule the 49-year-old decision.
READ MORE: Abramovich allowed £30m payment to cover cashflow issues
Ricketts said: "For decades, the abortion industry has pushed the mantra that abortion is a human right. They’ve tried their best to normalize a culture of death, where the most vulnerable among us have fallen victim to the lie that one person’s so-called right to privacy trumps the right of another to live. The infamous Supreme Court decision on Roe v Wade gave false credibility to their movement. But in less than four months, the Supreme Court could finally overturn Roe v Wade.
"There’s never been a more exciting time to be pro-life. The Supreme Court’s ruling could return the ability to regulate abortion to the states. If they do, Nebraska must be ready to protect the unborn. This week, our Legislature is considering pro-life legislation that will take effect the moment Roe v Wade is undone."
The statement, which has already been widely criticised by Chelsea supporters on social media, comes a day after a spokesman for the Ricketts family said that they "reject any form of hate" following historical comments from the family patriarch, Joe, in which he wrote that "Muslims are naturally my (our) enemy due to their deep antagonism."
Facebook comments attributed to another sibling, Todd, in which he referred to the coronavirus as "kung flu" a number of weeks before then US president Donald Trump used the derogatory term in a press conference have also been spread online by Chelsea supporters who have mobilised around a #NoToRicketts campaign.
That has not deterred Tom Ricketts, the 55-year-old son of Joe who runs the Chicago Cubs baseball team, from flying to London earlier this week to meet with stakeholders as the family seek to buy the club.
Yesterday the family's spokesman added: "Racism and Islamophobia have no place whatsoever in our society. Respect for diversity and inclusion are central to our family's values. If we prevail in our bid for Chelsea, we commit to the club and to the fans that we will actively promote these values."
An update on a shortlist of bidders is expected imminently, according to a source close to the Raine Group, the New York merchant bank overseeing the auction.
