Mike Pence has never exactly been at the forefront of women’s health. Before he was Donald Trump’s vice-presidential nominee, he passed a law in Indiana requiring fetal remains to be cremated or buried, likely at the cost of the patient, whether they were from an abortion or a miscarriage. He’s also blocked funds from Planned Parenthood, tried to shut down abortion clinics, and banned private-insurance coverage of abortion … and he doesn’t exactly get how condoms work, either.
In other words, he’s a blatant opponent of abortion access. So it was unsurprising, if still disheartening, when he promised to repeal Roe v. Wade should he and Trump be elected. According to the Los Angeles Times, he said as much during a campaign stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“I’m pro-life and I don’t apologize for it,” he said during a town-hall meeting. “We’ll see Roe vs. Wade consigned to the ash heap of history where it belongs.”
The comment was reportedly part of Pence’s spiel about the power the next president will have to appoint at least one Supreme Court judge (though probably more). Trump has openly promised to appoint pro-life judges, while it’s largely assumed that Clinton’s picks would be more moderate or liberal-leaning.
“While we’re choosing a president for the next four years, this next president will make decisions that will impact our Supreme Court for the next 40,” Pence told supporters during the town hall. “Go tell your neighbors and your friends, for the sake of the rule of law, for the sake of sanctity of life, for the sake of our Second Amendment, for the sake of all our other God-given liberties, we must ensure the next president appointing justices to the Supreme Court is Donald Trump.”
