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Former Vice President Mike Pence is taking purpose at his two-time operating mate over his long-awaited announcement on abortion.
Pence charged on Monday that former President Trump’s determination to not help a federal ban on abortion is a “retreat on the Proper to Life” and “a slap within the face to the tens of millions of pro-life People.”
The previous vp’s assertion got here a pair hours after Trump took credit score for the choice two years in the past by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court docket that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which had legalized abortion nationwide.
However Trump declined to help the push by social conservatives to ban abortion on the federal stage and emphasised his help for states figuring out their very own legal guidelines for abortion as long as there are exceptions for rape, incest and lifetime of the mom.
WHAT TRUMP SAID IN HIS HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ABORTION ANNOUNCEMENT
“The states will decide by vote, or laws, or maybe each, and no matter they determine should be the regulation of the land – on this case, the regulation of the state,” Trump stated in video posted on social media. “Many states can be totally different. Many states may have a special variety of weeks… on the finish of the day it’s all in regards to the will of the individuals.”
WHAT TOP REPUBLICANS ARE SAYING ABOUT TRUMP’S ABORTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Pence, who’s lengthy been a champion for evangelical voters, pushed for a federal abortion ban final yr as he ran for the Republican presidential nomination, as a part of a subject of roughly a dozen GOP candidates who unsuccessfully challenged Trump.
In an announcement on social media, Pence argued, “President Trump’s retreat on the Proper to Life is a slap within the face to the tens of millions of pro-life People who voted for him in 2016 and 2020. By nominating and standing by the affirmation of conservative justices, the Trump-Pence Administration helped ship Roe v. Wade to the ash heap of historical past the place it belongs and gave the pro-life motion the chance to compassionately help girls and unborn kids.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks to friends on the Iowa Religion and Freedom Coalition Spring Kick-Off on April 22, 2023, in Clive, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Photographs)
The previous vp lamented that “too many Republican politicians are all too prepared to scrub their palms of the battle for all times.”
And he emphasised that “nevertheless a lot our Republican nominee or different candidates search to marginalize the reason for life, I do know pro-life People won’t ever relent till we see the sanctity of life restored to the middle of American regulation in each state on this nation.”
Requested for a response to the criticism from Pence, Trump marketing campaign spokesman Steve Cheung replied, “Who?”
Pence was removed from the one high-profile Republican to criticize the previous president.
And a number one anti-abortion group additionally wasn’t happy with Trump’s announcement.
Majorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Professional-Life, stated she was “deeply disillusioned” by Trump’s announcement on Monday, arguing his assertion was a victory for Democrats.
“Saying the problem is ‘again to the states’ cedes the nationwide debate to Democrats who’re working relentlessly to enact laws mandating abortion all through all 9 months of being pregnant,” Dannenfelser emphasised. “If profitable, they’ll wipe out states’ rights.”
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, state supreme courts can be a key battleground within the combat over abortion rights. (AP Picture/Matt York, File)
The blockbuster Supreme Court docket ruling practically two years in the past not solely moved the divisive situation again to the states, but it surely compelled Republicans to play loads of protection in elections throughout the nation, as a celebration that is practically totally “pro-life” has needed to cope with an citizens the place a majority of People help not less than some type of abortion entry.
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Within the wake of the Supreme Court docket transfer, Republican-dominated states have carried out a brand new wave of restrictions on abortion, together with Florida’s six-week ban.
As Democrats goal Trump and different Republicans over the divisive situation, the previous president has tried to string the needle on abortion.
As he did on Monday, Trump recurrently takes credit score on the marketing campaign path for appointing the Supreme Court docket justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, and touts that he is the “most pro-life president in American historical past.”
However he has additionally repeatedly criticized fellow Republicans for taking a hard-line stance on the problem, blaming candidates who didn’t enable for exceptions in circumstances of rape, incest and when the lifetime of the mom is in danger, for the GOP’s setbacks within the 2022 midterm elections.
On the marketing campaign path throughout his White Home run, Pence repeatedly highlighted, “I am pro-life and I do not apologize for it.”
And he informed reporters in Iowa in August, “I reject the notion that standing for the sanctity of life is a political loser.”
A month later, after Trump declined to help Florida’s controversial six-week abortion ban, Pence in a Fox Information interview, accused the previous president of “backing away” from the anti-abortion trigger.
Get the most recent updates from the 2024 marketing campaign path, unique interviews and extra at our Fox Information Digital election hub.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter primarily based in New Hampshire.
