Where JD Vance stands on abortion, based on his past statements

Donald Trump’s selection of Ohio Senator JD Vance as his running mate adds a staunch anti-abortion voice to the top of the Republican ticket.

Vance, who officially became the vice presidential nominee on Monday, previously described himself as “100% pro-life”. But the particulars of his position have varied since he entered the political arena a few years ago — and his rhetoric appears to have increasingly aligned with Trump’s over time.

Vance told CBS News’ Face the Nation in May that his position on abortion matched Trump’s: that states should determine their own policies.

“What I have consistently said is that the vast majority of policies here will be set by the states,” Vance said, although he added that he was personally opposed to abortion rights.

“I want to save as many babies as possible,” he said. “And of course, I think it’s completely reasonable to say that late-term abortions shouldn’t happen, with reasonable exceptions.”

Vance has previously suggested, however, that a national law limiting abortion would be welcome.

During an October 2022 debate, when Vance was running for Senate, he signaled support for Senator Lindsey Graham’s abortion bill, which would make administering an abortion at 15 weeks’ gestation or greater a felony nationwide. . The bill has exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, and would not override state laws with stricter restrictions.

“It is possible to have some minimum national standards, which is my opinion, while still allowing states to make up their own mind,” Vance said. “California will have a different view than Ohio. All good.”

A representative from Vance’s Senate office declined to comment on his current stance on abortion and instead referred NBC News to Vance’s past statements. At times, these statements seem to contradict Trump’s position that abortion is an issue best left to the states.

In November, Vance told reporters: “We cannot give in to the idea that the federal Congress has no role in this matter, because if it doesn’t, then the pro-life movement will basically not exist, I think, in the next two years. years.”

Vance also opposed an amendment to the Ohio Constitution codifying the right to abortion and contraception. When the amendment passed in November, Vance described it as a “gut punch” in a post on X. Ohio allows abortions up to 20 weeks.

“There is something sociopathic about a political movement that tells young women (and men) that it is liberating to murder your own children,” he wrote.

However, Vance simultaneously suggested a difference between his own beliefs and what appeals to voters.

“This is not about moral legitimacy, but about political reality,” he wrote. “Give people the choice between restrictions on abortion early in pregnancy, with exceptions, or the pro-choice position, and the pro-life view will have a fighting chance. Give people a heart rate count, no exceptions, and it will miss 65-35.” (So-called “heartbeat bills” generally ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, around six weeks into pregnancy.)

Win the same way said CNN’s Jake Tapper in December that the exceptions for the rape and the mother’s life were politically necessary.

“We have to accept that people don’t want blanket bans on abortion. They just don’t want it,” he said.

Vance’s voting record shows he has consistently opposed efforts to protect reproductive rights. Like most Republican senators, he an “A+” on the Susan B. Anthony List National Pro-Life Scorecardwhich assesses Congressional support for anti-abortion legislation, and a score of 0% on the Congressional Reproductive Freedom for All registry. Along with 46 other Republican senators, he presented a bill in January 2023 This would prohibit federal funding from being used to cover abortion as health care through Medicaid or another government-run program.

Candidates’ positions on abortion are expected to have a major influence on the election. An NBC News national poll in April found that voters consider abortion one of the country’s most important issues. Likewise, in a 2023 Survey from the Public Religion Research Institute — a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization — found that more than 6 in 10 Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases.

The Republican Party has recently loosened its stance on abortion. Instead of the party’s long-standing call for a national ban, the Republican National Committee adopted a platform earlier this month which says states are free to pass their own abortion laws.