Pence says ‘whoever’ is next GOP president will back national abortion ban

Former Vice President Mike Pence said in a new interview that the next Republican elected to the Oval Office, “whoever that may be,” will support a national abortion ban.

“I welcome any and all efforts to advance the cause of life in state capitals or in the nation’s capital,” Pence said in an interview with RealClearPolitics published Wednesday. “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,” added Pence, who is seen as a potential 2024 presidential candidate and has been among the GOP’s most outspoken advocates for anti-abortion policies.

At a South Carolina speech in July, he said that the country has the opportunity to become a “more perfect union” with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. 

“Standing here in the first days of post-Roe America, we must resolve that we will not rest, we will not relent, until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the nation,” he added in that speech.

Pence’s latest remarks come after Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced legislation on Tuesday proposing a nationwide ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy and a possible prison sentence for medical officials who violate the ban. 

Since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion earlier this year, multiple GOP-led states have implemented their own abortion bans or restrictions.

In response to Graham’s proposed legislation, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said most senators want to leave the issue at the state level.

Pence dismissed concerns that the abortion debate could fuel Democratic turnout in November and ultimately hurt Republicans.

“I’m convinced,” Pence told RealClearPolitics, “that enthusiasm among pro-life Americans in states across the country is equal to, or greater than, any new motivation by people that support abortion rights.”