Mark Driscoll takes shot at Planned Parenthood on Mother’s Day, invoking Mary, mother of Jesus

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Megachurch Pastor Mark Driscoll of the fast-growing Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, is coming under fire from some critics for invoking Mary, the mother of Jesus, as he took an apparent potshot at Planned Parenthood on Sunday as the nation celebrated Mother’s Day.

Driscoll, who is well-known for his opposition to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the U.S., highlighted in an episode of his podcast in February titled "The Demonic Origins of Planned Parenthood with Seth Gruber," that the organization has demonic origins.

On Sunday evening, Driscoll suggested in what appears to be a hyperbolic statement that Planned Parenthood could have robbed Mary of motherhood, had the organization been operating during her time.

“Mary was a teen mom and Jesus had no earthly father. It's a good thing there was no Planned Parenthood in Nazareth,” Driscoll stated on X Sunday.

Driscoll didn’t immediately respond on Tuesday when The Christian Post asked his office to elaborate on the statement. One critic, identified as Lizzie, replied to Driscoll, stating: “This is not a good post at all. Offensive to our sister Mary.”

The Arizona pastor doubled down on his statement in his reply to Lizzie with a GIF offering her a box of tissues.

Kenny Burchard, founder of Catholic Bible Highlights and Bridge Builders International, called Driscoll’s statement “vile and utterly disgusting.”

“Behold, Mark Driscoll insists Mary would have had Jesus killed if she’d had the chance. Vile and utterly disgusting. But to be fair, he was an altar boy, though,” Burchard wrote on X in response to Driscoll.

“Calling our Blessed Mother a teen mom is like calling the Ark of the Covenant a cigar box,” added conservative Catholic Brent Casteel.

Driscoll, however, wasn't wrong in stating that Mary was a teenager when she was pregnant with Jesus. According to the Christian apologetics website Got Questions, even though Scripture doesn’t state Mary’s exact age, most Christian historians estimate she was about 15- to 16-years-old when she gave birth to Jesus.

“According to Jewish customs at the time, a young woman might become betrothed to a young man as early as 12 years of age, though the consummation of their marriage through ceremony and physical intimacy would not happen until they were legally married, many months or even years later,” Got Questions explained.

Others contended that even if Planned Parenthood had been around, Mary wouldn't have aborted Jesus because she was told by the angel Gabriel in Luke 1 that she would give birth to “the Son of the Most High” after the immaculate conception.

She also willingly accepted the calling to carry her pregnancy to full term when she responded to Gabriel, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” 

In March, a decade after launching his comeback to ministry at Trinity Church, Driscoll, who is already attracting about 5,000 worshipers each service,  announced that he was expanding into a new $15.5 million building.