(LifeSiteNews) — Senator J.D. Vance supports “access” to deadly abortion pills and opposes any federal ban on abortion – so why are some pro-life groups so eager to back him?
“Senator Vance is a strong fighter for Ohio families and the pro-life movement,” Ohio Right to Life board member Emily Moreno Miller stated in a news release from group. “Please join us in praying for Senator Vance and his family as they assume this new role.”
Peter Range, the group’s CEO, said Vance “understands and cares about the issue of life at a deep level.”
But where is the proof that currently, in the year 2024, Vance cares about those issues enough to use his platform as the vice-presidential nominee to fight for the sanctity of human life through meaningful protections for preborn babies?
Spokeswoman Rachel del Guidice told LifeSiteNews on Wednesday, July 17 she could provide comment on the group’s endorsement. LifeSiteNews pointed out Vance opposes federal limits on abortion, which means states like New York, California, Illinois, and New Jersey can have no limits.
Ohio itself is losing its pro-life protections due to a radical amendment passed in 2023.
READ: ‘Betrayal’ of Catholic faith: Trump running mate JD Vance slammed for backing abortion pills
LifeSiteNews asked what ORTL expects from Senator Vance, what some of his pro-life stances are, and if the group would like to see him advocate for pro-life restrictions and get Trump to change his mind on a federal abortion ban.
She has not responded to a follow up reminder on Thursday afternoon from LifeSiteNews.
On July 7, prior to being chosen as President Trump’s running mate, Vance went on “Meet the Press.” During that interview, he said he supports “access” to abortion drugs.
He also misrepresented the Supreme Court case FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, suggesting the court ruled in favor of a right to abortion drugs. Rather, the case centered on whether pro-life medical professionals had standing to challenge the loosened regulations.
“On the question of the abortion pill, what’s so many of us have said … 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 said.
During the interview, he also suggested the “Trump and Republican approach” to abortion was to focus on lowering the cost of delivery and making housing more affordable.
“Donald Trump is the pragmatic leader here. He’s saying most abortion policy is going to be decided by the states,” Vance said. “We want to make it easier and more affordable for young women and parents to have families to begin with, we want to lower housing costs, eliminate those surprise medical bills that so many families see after they have a baby. That’s the Trump and Republican approach to this issue.”
It has now been almost two weeks since that interview. LifeSiteNews could not find any statements from Vance or his team walking back or clarifying his comments. He did not even say the word “abortion” during his speech Thursday in front of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
He did quote the movie Pulp Fiction though and said “social conservatives have a seat at this table and they always will.”
He made the comment to address “rumbling” about social conservatives losing a voice, most likely alluding to the GOP watering down its past support for biblical marriage and the sanctity of human life in its 2024 platform.
READ: Vivek Ramaswamy touts watered-down GOP platform on abortion, homosexual ‘marriage’
Pro-abortion pills Senator JD Vance said social conservatives should just ‘trust’ Trump.
Doesn’t provide any policy positions why.
He is the ‘just trust me bro’ meme. pic.twitter.com/oI2QVtTmf5
— Matt Lamb (@MattLamb22) July 19, 2024
The running mate then went on to say that one of Trump’s “great virtues about his approach to politics” is that he wants to “advance the ball one yard” before it can be advanced “10 yards before we advance it to a touchdown.”
“Remember that this is a guy who delivered for social conservatives more than any president in my 39 years of life,” Vance said, asking for “grace” and “trust.”
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America is asking for the same “trust.”
The group called Vance a “strong pick” and said the Ohio Senator showed “courage in exposing the Democrats’ agenda of abortion for any reason, even in the seventh, eighth, or ninth month,” prior to winning his election in 2022.
LifeSiteNews asked for clarification on why the group is backing Vance, despite his opposition to any federal limits on abortion and his support for abortion pills. LifeSiteNews pointed out that New Jersey, Illinois, California, New York, Vermont, and other states can allow “seven, eight, or ninth month” abortions “for any reason,” without any federal protections.
President Marjorie Dannensfelser provided a comment Wednesday via a spokeswoman. “I feel certain that Senator Vance was responding to a question about a complete ban that he deems politically impossible at the moment,” Dannenfelser told LifeSiteNews. “I’m equally certain that he believes that doctors should be involved in the administration of these dangerous drugs and that states should have the right to regulate them.”
The group did not respond to an immediate follow up email Wednesday that asked if Vance made further comments about a federal abortion ban or other measures he supports to limit abortion. LifeSiteNews asked if there is a specific set of commitments SBA is pushing for the Trump campaign to make.
LifeSite also asked for any evidence, such as press statements or social media posts, that backed their assertion that Vance supports doctors being involved in administering abortion drugs and states regulating them.
In any case, simply having a doctor administer the abortion drugs is not really the main issue – the preborn baby being killed through the drugs does not care if a doctor or a CVS pharmacist is the one handing his mom the deadly drugs. What matters more is that an innocent preborn baby is being killed.
Other pro-life groups and leaders have taken a more cautious approach.
READ: Marco Rubio belies strong pro-life convictions by going along with GOP’s abortion compromise
Students for Life Action said Vance’s “humble beginnings have made him an articulate champion for families caught in the margins” and said it “has been proud to work with the Senator’s team to provide additional benefits for young families and pregnant mothers.”
But in its statement, and subsequent comments, SFL Action demanded further commitments from the Trump-Vance ticket.
The group said “it will be important to talk with this ticket about the realities of how the Biden Administration has weaponized policy and the law against Pro-Life Americans and the preborn children” and in the same news release linked to a past statement about Vance being wrong about abortion drugs.
SFL Action has criticized the president’s son Eric for referring to the issue of abortion as a “spot on the wall in the basement,” during a simile about a broken house and the GOP platform. SFL Action also asked Trump to support a “New Deal” on abortion, including disbarring Planned Parenthood, campaigning against late-term abortions, and supporting the theory that the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of the right to life begins in the womb.
LiveAction President Lila Rose has also criticized Vance.
“The reality is this: we are dealing with two pro-abortion legalization tickets, with the Biden/Harris ticket supporting abortions on babies through all nine months of pregnancy as well as the political persecution of pro-life people,” Rose wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“I urge all the candidates to see the abject evil of abortion, to change their positions and to become fighters for the most innocent among us,” Rose said.
Rose is correct.
The pro-life movement must work for the protection of every preborn baby from the moment of conception. Abortion is an abject evil, because it ends an innocent human life and leaves moms, dads, and families hurting.
A “pragmatic” approach to politics cannot be one that includes letting 1 million babies die per year and ignores any real fight to try to stop abortion.
Vance wants us to just “trust” Trump understands what is going on with politics, but real trust is earned, not given.
If Vance wants pro-lifers and social conservatives to trust the Trump campaign, he should give some concrete reasons why – and going on NBC News to share his support for abortion pill “access” is one of the worst ways to do that.
As Lila Rose said, “America’s children deserve better.”