Mike Pence Doubles Down on National Abortion Ban: ‘More Important than Short-Term Politics’

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Mike Pence made it abundantly clear where he stands on the debate over reproductive rights when he called for a national abortion ban Tuesday.

The former vice president has long supported the pro-life agenda, so in some respects, news that he is for banning all abortions isn’t terribly newsworthy. What’s interesting, however, is that this comes at a time when many Republicans are becoming increasingly concerned about their political fates in the upcoming midterm elections, as the recent Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade appears to have rallied support for Democrats in many races.

Pence was interviewed by RealClearPolitics reporter Philip Wegmann ahead of a Susan B. Anthony gala for pro-life advocates. When asked about how the abortion debate will play out in the midterms, Pence said that banning abortions “is profoundly more important than any short-term politics.”

Wegmann writes:

The former vice president toasted the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade, celebrated the lawmakers who had confirmed the conservative Supreme Court majority behind the landmark Dobbs decision, and told those gathered for a gala hosted by the pro-life Susan B. Anthony group in the nation’s capital that they had only reached what he called “the end of the beginning.”

Pence, who harbors his own White House ambitions and who has made the pro-life cause his life’s work, insists there is more work to be done to restrict abortion. The Indiana Republican made that clear earlier in the day during an exclusive interview with RealClearPolitics.

“I welcome any and all efforts to advance the cause of life in state capitals or in the nation’s capital,” Pence told RCP when asked about legislation to institute a federal abortion ban. “And I have every confidence that the next Republican president, whoever that may be, will stand for the right to life.”

“It is imperative that Republicans and conservatives resolve, here and now, that we will not shrink from the fight,” he added. For their part, Republican leadership would rather not. At least, not right now.

Pence’s comments come on the same day that Senator Lindsey Graham proposed a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks, which was a curious political move for a bunch of reasons. Graham had previously touted Dobbs decision to make abortion a states rights issue, which he immediately backtracked on. Given how reproductive rights appears to be a winning issue for Democrats ahead of the midterms, the timing of Pence’s comments is interesting, to say the least.

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