Former Vice President Mike Pence, a GOP presidential candidate, took aim at his fellow candidate Donald Trump and other opponents, accusing them of not being fully committed to the anti-abortion cause. Pence made these comments during a press gathering following his address at the Family Research Council’s annual Pray, Vote, Stand conference in Washington, D.C.
Pence claimed that Trump and others in the race were trying to marginalize the pro-life movement, stating, “The fact that the former president has not only refused to endorse a 15-week national law that would ban or limit abortion after a child was able to experience pain, but also the fact that he actually blamed election losses in 2022 on us overturning Roe v. Wade — that sends a signal to pro-life Americans about the priority he’ll put on the cause of life should you return him to the White House.”
In his speech at the conference, Pence outlined his anti-abortion stance, pledging to take executive actions to curb abortion if elected. He also expressed support for a 15-week abortion ban and vowed to defund Planned Parenthood while reversing the Biden administration’s policy that allows military servicemembers to travel for an abortion if they’re stationed in a state where abortion is banned.
Many anti-abortion groups, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, consider support for a 15-week national ban a key criterion for GOP presidential candidates. However, not all candidates have embraced this position, leading to divisions within the Republican Party on abortion-related issues.
Pence, along with Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, supports the 15-week ban but currently lags behind Trump in the polls. The Republican Party remains deeply divided over its abortion strategy, including questions about the timing of abortion bans, exemptions for rape, and whether abortion regulations should be decided at the state or federal level.
Pence continued to target Trump by arguing that the former president is no longer the staunch anti-abortion advocate he once claimed to be. Pence asserted, “When Donald Trump ran for president in 2016, he promised to govern as a conservative, and I’m proud to say we did govern as conservatives. What I want voters to know is that he makes no such promises today.”
This disagreement underscores the ongoing ideological debates within the Republican Party, particularly in the context of the recent changes in abortion law following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy were scheduled to address the Family Research Council conference later that evening.
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