Pence says he supports national 15-week abortion ban

by Zach Schonfeld - 11/20/22 2:22 PM ET

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at Georgetown University, Gaston Hall in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Former Vice President Mike Pence said he would support a federal 15-week abortion ban proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) if he were in Congress.

In interviews with CBS’s Margaret Brennan and NBC’s Chuck Todd that aired on Sunday, Pence praised the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and touted the Trump administration’s confirmation of three conservative justices who voted in the majority.

“I will always support efforts to strengthen protections for the unborn,” Pence told Brennan on “Face the Nation.” “I think it’s most likely that it will be resolved at the state level, but the 15 week legislation in the Congress, had I been a member of Congress, I would have supported.”

Graham in September unveiled a national 15-week abortion ban proposal, including exceptions for cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. It also includes a potential five-year jail sentence for providers who violate the ban.

“It was useful in the sense of demonstrating that Democrats’ position is the extreme position,” Pence said on NBC. “The Democratic Party today supports abortion on demand up to the moment of birth and taxpayer funding of abortion.”

Democrats made abortion a central issue of their midterm campaign following the Supreme Court’s decision, and it ranked second only to the economy in importance to voters, according to exit polling on Election Day.

Pence has been a frequent presence on television as he promoted his new book, “So Help Me God.” Speculation is also mounting that he may launch 2024 presidential campaign challenging his two-time running mate, former President Trump.

Pence told Brennan and Todd he will discuss a potential campaign with his family when they are home for the holiday season next month.

“It may take as many years to restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in this country as it took to overturn Roe vs. Wade,” Pence told Todd on “Meet the Press.” “But as long as I have breath, I‘ll be on that cause.”