Senator JD Vance Discusses Childhood Experiences at TPUSA Event

Vice President Vance Sparks Controversy with Claims About Indigenous Child Sacrifice

Vice President JD Vance has ignited a heated debate following remarks made at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi on October 29. During his speech, Vance claimed that European settlers in the New World encountered “widespread child sacrifice” among indigenous peoples, asserting that Christian civilization subsequently ended this practice.

“When settlers came to the New World, they found a very widespread child sacrifice,” Vance stated, connecting this historical reference to a broader pro-life argument. He suggested that societies that “discard babies” also mistreat women, pointing to ancient brothels where child bones were allegedly found buried with women.

“There was a reason why Christian civilization ended the practice of child sacrifice all over the world, and it’s one of the great accomplishments of Christian civilizations,” Vance continued. He framed human rights and the sanctity of life as fundamentally Christian concepts, drawing parallels between historical rituals and modern abortion practices.

The remarks have drawn swift criticism from historians and indigenous advocates. Content creator Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) described Vance’s claims as a “flat-out lie” that is “historically false, deeply racist, and disgustingly revisionist” in a widely-shared social media post.

Archaeologists specializing in North American history have pushed back against Vance’s characterization, noting that evidence does not support claims of widespread child sacrifice among First Nations peoples in what is now Canada and the northern United States.

While human sacrifice, including that of children, did occur in some pre-Columbian societies, historical evidence indicates these practices varied significantly across regions and cultures. In Mesoamerica, the Aztecs and Maya practiced ritual sacrifices that sometimes involved children as offerings to deities such as Tlaloc, the rain god. Archaeological sites in Mexico have revealed evidence of mass burials and ceremonial heart extractions.

Similarly, in South America, the Inca conducted “capacocha” ceremonies where children were drugged, transported to mountaintops, and killed or buried alive for fertility rituals or imperial ceremonies. The Chimú culture in Peru has been linked to the largest known mass child sacrifice event, involving over 137 children and 200 llamas approximately 500 years ago.

However, experts emphasize that in North America—where many European settlers first arrived—evidence of such practices is far scarcer and does not suggest a “widespread” custom among the diverse indigenous groups like the Iroquois, Algonquin, or Plains tribes.

“Isolated cases exist, such as rare Pawnee ‘Morning Star’ rituals involving captive adolescents or potential findings at Cahokia, but these were exceptional, not pervasive,” explained Dr. Sarah Coleman, professor of Indigenous Studies at Northwestern University. “Many indigenous North American cultures emphasized communal harmony and did not engage in systematic sacrifice.”

Historians have also pointed out that European accounts sometimes exaggerated or fabricated such claims to demonize native populations and rationalize colonization, land seizure, and forced conversions.

This is not Vance’s first controversial statement regarding indigenous peoples. During his 2022 Senate campaign, he referred to Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a “fake holiday” designed to sow division.

Public reaction to Vance’s recent comments has been polarized along political lines. Supporters praise his stance as upholding Christian anti-abortion values, while critics call the statement a distortion of history that perpetuates harmful stereotypes.

Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, defended Vance’s remarks, writing: “Vice President Vance correctly identifies the sanctity of human life as a uniquely Christian contribution to civilization.”

Meanwhile, indigenous rights activists have condemned the vice president’s characterization. “This rhetoric isn’t just historically inaccurate—it’s dangerous,” said Robert Running Wolf, executive director of the Native American Rights Coalition. “It continues a centuries-old practice of misrepresenting indigenous cultures to justify past and present injustices.”

The White House has not issued an official response to the controversy, which continues to generate significant engagement on social media platforms, with Vance’s comments accumulating over half a million views and thousands of comments reflecting America’s ongoing cultural and political divides.