(FiveNation.com)- When he advocated for a nationwide ban on abortion on Tuesday, Mike Pence clarified where he sits in the struggle over reproductive rights.
In some ways, the news that the former vice president supports outlawing all abortions isn’t very noteworthy because he has consistently supported the pro-life movement. It’s remarkable, though, that this is happening when many Republicans are growing more worried about their political futures in the next midterm elections because the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade looks to have galvanized Democratic support in many contests.
Before a Susan B. Anthony event for pro-life activists, RealClearPolitics reporter Philip Wegmann spoke with Pence. Pence stated that outlawing abortions “is far more important than any short-term politics” when asked about how the abortion topic will play out in the midterm elections.
At a gala hosted by the pro-life Susan B. Anthony organization in the nation’s capital, the former vice president thanked the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade, applauded the lawmakers who had confirmed the conservative Supreme Court majority behind the landmark Dobbs decision, and declared that they had only reached “the end of the beginning.”
Pence, who has made the pro-life movement his life’s work and has his sights set on the White House, maintains that there is still more that can be done to limit abortion. In an exclusive interview with RealClearPolitics earlier in the day, the Indiana Republican made his point apparent.
When questioned about proposed legislation to enact a federal abortion ban, Pence told RCP that he applauds any and all attempts to advance the cause of life in state capitals or the nation’s capital, and whoever the next Republican president is, he is quite confident that they will support the right to life.
“Republicans and conservatives must decide right away that we won’t back down from the struggled. Republican leadership, for their part, would prefer not to. At this time, at least.
Pence’s remarks coincide with Senator Lindsey Graham’s proposal to outlaw abortions beyond 15 weeks, which was a strange political move for a number of reasons. Graham had previously praised Dobbs for making abortion a matter of state rights, but Dobbs later withdrew that decision. The timing of Pence’s remarks is intriguing, to say the least, given that reproductive rights appear to be a winning topic for Democrats ahead of the November elections.
