Republican VP Hopefuls Face Criticism Over Weakening Pro-Life Principles
A top Republican vice presidential contender is following former President Donald Trump’s lead and backing off pro-life protections and principles. On Sunday, Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) was asked by Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about the Heritage Foundation’s proposed Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for a second Trump term. Welker noted that one of the […]
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A top Republican vice presidential contender is following former President Donald Trump’s lead and backing off pro-life protections and principles. On Sunday, Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) was asked by Kristen Welker on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about the Heritage Foundation’s proposed Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for a second Trump term. Welker noted that one of the Project 2025 agenda items is “reversing approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, but Donald Trump says he supports access to that pill, actually.” She asked Vance, a Catholic, if he also supports “access to abortion medication,” and the senator replied that he does.
“On the question of the abortion pill, what so many of us have said is that … the Supreme Court made a decision saying that the American people should have access to that medication, Donald Trump has supported that opinion, I support that opinion,” Vance stated. “I think it’s important to say that we actually have to have an important conversation in this country about what our abortion policy should be.”
“Donald Trump is the pragmatic leader here, he’s saying most abortion policy’s going to be decided by the states,” the senator continued. Vance went on to claim that the “Trump and Republican approach to this issue” is to make having and raising children and providing for a family more affordable. “Meanwhile, Joe Biden wants taxpayer-funded abortion up to birth,” he noted. “Democrats — they frame Democrats as being reasonable and pragmatic, when in reality, Republicans are the ones trying to find some common ground here.” Welker asked, “Just to be clear, you support mifepristone being accessible?” Vance responded, “Yes, Kristen, I do.”
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Mary Szoch, director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand, “Every practicing Catholic knows … we must protect, defend, and cherish the gift of life. The call to love our neighbor and rescue those who are being led to slaughter begins at the moment of fertilization.” She added, “A recognition of this must be at the heart of all public policy.”
Vance, who is reportedly on Trump’s shortlist for vice president, was asked if he had been offered the role yet. He said that he has not but would let media know if he were to get the call. According to Polymarket analysis, Vance’s statements on mifepristone increased his chances of being picked as Trump’s VP by 300%.
Mifepristone is known as the abortion drug. While it is commonly used with misoprostol, mifepristone actually ends pregnancy, blocking the chemical action of the hormone progesterone and leaving the unborn child to die in the womb. Misoprostol has numerous other uses, including treating a miscarriage, and does not end a pregnancy.
Another VP contender, Vance’s Senate colleague and fellow Catholic Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), also backed away from pro-life principles this week. Speaking to CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday, Rubio said that the Republican Party platform should “reflect our nominee,” instead of the pro-life principles championed by the GOP for decades. He added that Republicans “couldn’t pass” a pro-life constitutional amendment outlawing abortion “even if we wanted to…”
Earlier this year, Trump announced his intention to leave abortion policy to individual states, drawing criticism from pro-life leaders. “The states will determine by vote or legislation — or perhaps both — and whatever they decide must be the law of the land,” the former president said in a video. “Many states will be different, many will have a different number of weeks, or some will have more conservative [respect for life] than others.” Although Trump has touted his first term’s pro-life record and has repeatedly expressed support for pro-life Americans, numerous Republicans have followed his lead and begun backing away from their party’s long-held pro-life position, culminating on Monday with the new GOP platform including a vastly watered down agenda for protecting the unborn.
LifeNews Note: S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.
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