Vance says Trump would veto national abortion ban – but critics aren’t convinced

JD Vance assured an interviewer that Donald Trump would not sign legislation establishing a national abortion ban into law in footage that aired Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press.

But the Republican vice presidential contender is facing the reality of his own past support for such as plan as well as other pathways towards enacting such a ban being eyed by conservatives as he and Trump seek to defend themselves on the issue of reproductive rights.

Vance was asked by NBC’s Kristen Welker in their interview whether his running mate would veto a piece of legislation banning abortion outright or after a certain point in the pregnancy — a bill that would have been impossible under the federal protections established by Roe v Wade, which was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022. Vance replied that Trump had said “explicitly” that he would issue such a veto.

“I think he would. He said that explicitly that he would,” said Vance. “Donald Trump has been as clear about that as possible.”

He went on to urge voters to go back and look at what Trump himself had said about the issue — which until recently was not much in the way of specifics. The Republican ex-president avoided laying out his own view on a national ban for months after a conservative majority on the Supreme Court overturned Roe, finally stating earlier this year that he opposed a national ban. Trump has been vocal, however, in taking credit for Roe’s downfall, which in recent speeches and remarks he has claimed that even Democrats and independents wanted to see overturned.

It also doesn’t help his case that national abortion ban efforts have been championed by some of Trump’s allies in Congress, such as Lindsey Graham who introduced one piece of legislation aiming to establish a national standard after Roe was overturned.

Still, many Democrats argue that none of this matters at all. Even if Republicans fail to pass an abortion ban through legislative means, they insist, the groundwork is already being laid for the Supreme Court to take up the “personhood” argument — the debate over whether unborn fetuses should be extended the same rights as a person. A decision establishing such rights would have immediate consequences for the legality of abortion nationwide, which would likely only remain permissible in tightly-controlled circumstances.

JD Vance speaks at an event in Michigan as he and Donald Trump have sought to reclaim the race’s momentum from Kamala Harris (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

It could also have further reaching effects for programs such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is opposed by the fringe anti-abortion movement.

That pathway to the rollback of reproductive rights is favored by some Republicans who worry about the political consequences of explicitly passing legislation through Congress around the issue.

Trump and his wing of the GOP have attempted a delicate dance around the issue even as Trump himself has grown increasingly confident about signaling his role in Roe’s downfall. The party, at his campaign’s behest, scrubbed support for a national abortion ban from their platform earlier this year. He has also sought to distance himself from Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for radically reshaping government drawn up by a number of right-leaning groups in anticipation of his possible victory in November. The plan calls for new restrictions on mifepristone, an over-the-counter pill that can cause an abortion early into the pregnancy, and would also take other actions seen as wins for the anti-abortion right, including blocking organizations like Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds.

Whether or not Americans trust conservatives to not simply say one thing and do another is yet another issue, especially around reproductive rights. Many Democrats in the Senate are still fuming over statements made by conservative justices nominated by Trump — justices who eventually voted to overturn Roe vs Wade — stating that they viewed the case as settled law.

The Republican Party platform, despite the elimination of language in support of a national ban, remained supportive of arguments for fetal personhood, suggesting that Trump and his allies favor that approach as well.

Democrats have argued that Trump is merely attempting a more cloak-and-dagger approach to the achieving same goal the far-right of his party seeks.