MSN and the Los Angeles Times report that Republican Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence told an audience in Grand Rapids, Michigan that all abortion would be illegal if Trump were elected.
“We’ll see Roe v. Wade [the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion] consigned to the ash heap of history where it belongs.”
There’s no doubt that Pence means business. He signed two very controversial laws as Indiana’s governor:
—H. 1337, which prohibited women from having abortions after learning that the fetus has been diagnosed with a disability. If the fetus has a fatal birth defect, the physician must offer the pregnant woman hospice care for her unborn, dying child. This law also makes it a crime to abort a pregnancy because of the baby’s race or sex. And the law makes the physician performing the unlawful abortion liable for wrongful death. An aborted or miscarried fetus must be buried or cremated.
—the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which allows businesses to refuse service to gay customers because of their religious beliefs. Shortly after enactment, this law was amended to clarify that businesses that acted for religious reasons could not be punished by he government, but they were still obligated to serve same-sex couples.
Pence also told the town hall that they could trust Trump to protect their Second Amendment rights and their religious freedom. And Pence himself would do all he could to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Is Pence Unclear on the Concept?
Perhaps Governor Pence is not aware that the Vice President has no power to do these things The Vice President has no authority to:
—overturn previous Supreme Court rulings;
—influence rulings on cases before the Supreme Court (or any federal court); or
—propose legislation.
He will have only the influence that Trump allows him. It’s possible that he might be asked his opinion on proposed Justices of the Supreme Court. Maybe. If he stays on The Donald’s good side. Pence might do well to remember that Trump suggested that discrimination against LGBTQ folks was a bad idea.
Featured image from Gage Skidmore under Creative Commons 2.0.
