Riley Gaines silences critics after completing daring 1.25-mile Alcatraz swim while pregnant

Fox News

4 days ago

Riley Gaines swam from the infamous Alcatraz prison to shore just as she did last year, but this time, she did so 31 weeks pregnant.
That detail led many to bash Gaines on social media, but she had time on OutKick's "Gaines for Girls" podcast to fire right back.
Gaines did the roughly 1.25-mile swim alongside U.S. Navy SEALs and combat veterans, as well as her husband, after getting clearance from her OBGYN.
She posted to social media a picture of herself after the swim, and quickly received vitriol. She said the act "broke the minds of liberals."
Then, Gaines read aloud a few comments and gave her take on each.
"'I guess putting your baby at a risk for click was a decision,'" Gaines read aloud. "I wonder where he got his doctorate. I didn't know Twitter had so many OBGYNs or doctors who suddenly know more about pregnancy and exercising while pregnant than my OB did, who cleared me to do this."
Another X user wrote: "Maybe not the best time to swim in the ocean then lol but what do I know."
"Nothing," Gaines retorted. "You know nothing, at least about pregnancy and exercising while pregnant."
Gaines read another comment, which asked why she would think about doing this while pregnant.
"I think I feel so great, and I have the entire time, because I have done things like this regularly, whether being pregnant or not being pregnant," Gaines said.
Finally, Gaines read her favorite reply.
"I love this one. This guy says – this is pretty amazing. He says, 'Imagine the torturous, horrific conditions for the fetus. Breathing, muscles squeezing, adrenaline overdosing, massive pressure on the cervix, womb, sack, and fetus. Then, the sloshing and incredibly loud noises. Quite the sadistic torture. Hope the fetus survives the mother's idiocy to be born, healthy. Poor baby…'
"First of all, my developing child in the womb is not a fetus, at this point. If she were to be born, obviously not ideal to be born nine weeks early and no one is to say for certain what will happen. But viability is 24-ish weeks."
Alcatraz was opened in 1934, but it didn't even last three decades before closing. Located on an island off the shore in the San Francisco Bay, it was categorized as practically escape-proof, though 14 documented attempts were made.
Among them were the Anglin brothers, John and Clarence, as well as Frank Morris, who tried to escape on June 11, 1962. It was later turned into a movie, "Escape from Alcatraz," as it remains a mystery to this day whether they reached shore and survived, or drowned, as the FBI concluded due to harsh conditions.
Gaines hosts the "Gaines for Girls" podcast on OutKick, where she discusses what has occurred with transgender individuals participating in girls' and women's sports.