Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence gestures during the “National Celebrate Life Day Rally” commemorating the first anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade on Abortion in Washington, USA, June 24, 2023.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
Two 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls spoke out about their opposition to abortion on Sunday, the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jacksonthe decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Presidential candidate and former vice president Mike Pence he described last year’s landmark decision as a “historic victory” that relegated Roe v. Wade to the “ash heap of history.”
Earlier this week, Pence called on all GOP candidates to commit to a nationwide ban on abortion after 15 weeks — but on Sunday he said it was also important to “become compassionate.”
“With 62 million unborn lives lost and like many women who have endured two generations under abortion, I think we have to bring a message of grace, we have to bring a message of kindness,” Pence said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “That’s how we win hearts and minds. It’s more important to me than politics, but I also think it’s a winning theme.”
Pence said the national 15-week limit “brings American law into line with most countries in Europe, which literally ban abortions at 12 to 15 weeks.”
His call for tighter restrictions came more recently NBC News National Poll found that 6 in 10 voters still oppose the Supreme Court overturning the nation’s right to abortion. According to NBC News, nearly 80% of female voters aged 18-49, two-thirds of suburban women, 60% of independents and a third of Republican voters disapprove.
Pence also said he “strongly supports” Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s effort to delay military promotions over the Defense Department’s abortion policy, including a recent decision to reimburse service members who travel to other states for an abortion.
“We simply cannot have the federal government directly or indirectly subsidizing abortion in this country, including the Pentagon,” Pence said.
Another guest on the Fox show, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), took issue with the comment. “We [Democrats] support Roe v. Wade,” Cardin said. “We thought it was an established law. It was established law for almost 50 years. The Supreme Court’s decision was a radical decision that reversed women’s rights to make their own health care decisions.”
That right “shouldn’t be subject to what state legislatures do,” Cardin said. “This is a personal decision made by women based on the advice of their doctors and their families. And we don’t think we should be trying to tell women when they can make those decisions.”
But at least one GOP contender said Sunday that he likely won’t sign off on Pence’s idea. Former Governor of New Jersey Chris Christiewho announced his to run for president said earlier this month that while he supported the decision in Dobbs, he would oppose the concept of a federal ban on abortion until a “national consensus” developed on the issue.
“Conservatives like myself have been saying for the last 50 years that it’s not a federal issue. It’s a state issue. It’s something that the states should decide. The Dobbs case a year ago gave us an opportunity to let each state do that.” decision,” he told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
“I hope to see that with each of the 50 states, but more importantly, with the people of each of the 50 states deciding on this issue, we could see a national consensus develop,” Christie said.
“If there is a national consensus, I have no problem with the federal government stepping in and affirming that national consensus.”