Pence calls for abortion bans in all states in pro-life push to conservative students

Former Vice President Mike Pence called for a ban on abortion in all 50 states in a speech on Tuesday to a conservative student group as he burnishes his pro-life credentials.

Praising the Supreme Court for rolling back women’s constitutional right to choose, Pence urged young people to focus on passing anti-abortion laws from coast to coast.

“We must not tire until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in the nation,” Pence said. “We save the babies. We’ll save America.”

Pence took credit for the Trump administration’s installation of three Supreme Court justices, giving conservatives the votes to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

“We sent Roe versus Wade to the ash heap of history, where it belongs,” Pence said. “Now it falls to this generation to take the case for life to every state and every statehouse in America.”

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Some Republican leaders have shied away from openly discussing new abortion restrictions because they want to keep the national political message focused on President Biden’s supposed mishandling of the economy ahead of the midterm congressional elections.

Democrats, on the other hand, have leaned into the abortion issue in hopes of energizing their pro-choice base.

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Pence has openly lauded the Supreme Court decision and framed himself as a reliably pro-life leader who isn’t afraid to demand new abortion restrictions.

The top court effectively hands the abortion debate back to the states, with about half the states that are controlled by Republicans enacting or planning to enact near-total bans.

Blue states are moving in the opposite direction, racing to pass new pro-choice laws and even seeking to enshrine reproductive rights in their constitutions.