- The vice presidential candidate said in 2022 that he was “open” to a federal abortion ban
- Democrats warn that a second Trump term would include a national abortion ban
Senator JD Vance appears to have moderated his stance on abortion since joining Donald Trump’s ticket.
The Ohio Republican now says that if Congress were to pass a federal abortion ban, a Trump-Vance administration would “absolutely commit” to vetoing such legislation.
It’s a stark change from what Vance said just two and a half years ago.
Four months before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022 and returned abortion laws to the states, the now-Republican vice presidential nominee said he would be open to nationwide regulation.
“I would certainly like to see abortion made illegal nationwide,” Vance said during a podcast in January 2022, when he was running for his Senate seat.
Senator JD Vance has given his word that if Donald Trump wins in November, he would veto a federal abortion ban if it reached his desk.
Now, Vance has moved more to the center on the issue, telling NBC’s Meet the Press in a pre-taped interview that aired Sunday that his ticket does not want a “continued federal conflict on this issue.”
Democrats spent every day of their national convention in Chicago, Illinois, last week criticizing Republicans over the Supreme Court ruling and claiming that a Trump presidency would push abortion restrictions even further.
Last week, Americans spoke on stage at the United Center with horror stories about abortion rights and their restrictions.
One woman spoke out about needing to have an abortion at age 12 after her stepfather raped her. And another couple shared their story about the mother who nearly lost her life due to a non-viable pregnancy that she was unable to abort due to her state’s restrictions.
“Can you commit, Senator, sitting here with me today, that if you and Donald Trump are elected, you will not impose a federal ban on abortion?” NBC anchor Kristen Welker asked the vice presidential candidate.
“I can fully commit to that, Kristen. Donald Trump has been as clear as he can be about that.”
She explained: “Donald Trump wants to end this culture war on this particular issue. If California wants to have a different abortion policy than Ohio, Ohio should respect California and California should respect Ohio.”
“If a bill like this were to land on Donald Trump’s desk, would he veto it?” Welker said.
“I think so,” the senator replied. “He explicitly said he would do it.”
Vance said one of the main reasons abortion should be left to the states is so the federal government can focus on big-picture existential issues like inflation, the economy, border security and U.S. involvement in foreign wars.
Democrats believe Trump would ban abortion nationwide if he wins another term
Many issues are handled this way in the United States. For example, gun laws and regulations differ from state to state even though it is legal to own these weapons at the federal level and is even protected by the Constitution.
Since the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, the fate of abortion laws has been up in the air.
Democrats have been sounding the alarm about the decision ever since, saying Republicans will use it to impose a federal ban that would severely restrict a woman’s ability to terminate her pregnancy.
Trump has repeatedly said he has no plans to impose federal restrictions or regulations on abortion, but Democrats don’t believe him.
And some Republicans, like South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, are pushing for a federal ban and say they will continue to pressure Trump — or any Republican administration — to impose laws nationwide.