Highlights
- J.D. Vance supported abortion bans without exceptions for rape or incest.
- Vance described pregnancies conceived during rape and incest as “inconvenient.”
- Vance claimed that most abortions are abortions of “convenience.”
- Vance suggested that forced birth should be viewed as an “opportunity.”
- Vance campaigned on ending abortion
- J.D. Vance supported a federal abortion ban.
- Vance said he would “like abortion to be illegal nationally,” and advocated for a “national right to life”
- Vance supported legislation to ban abortion federally at 15-weeks
- Vance justified a national abortion ban through antisemitic and racist comments.
- J.D. Vance opposed Roe v. Wade.
- Vance called Roe v. Wade an abomination.
- Vance cheered the overturn of Roe v. Wade
- J.D. Vance supported state abortion restrictions.
- Vance supported Texas’ abortion ban, which had no exceptions for rape or incest and deputized private citizens to sue abortion providers.
- Vance supported Ohio’s six-week abortion ban, which also had no exceptions for rape or incest.
- Vance opposed Ohio Issue 1, which protected abortion rights in Ohio law.
- Vance described Ohio issue 1 passage as a “gut punch.”
- Vance supported Georgia’s six-week abortion ban.
- Georgia’s bill banned abortions around six weeks of pregnancy and only included rape or incest exceptions if a police report was filed.
- J.D. Vance referred to abortion as murder and compared the practice to slavery.
- J.D, Vance fought to restrict access to reproductive health care for workers.
- J.D. Vance opposed abortions late in pregnancy.
- J.D. Vance opposed Planned Parenthood.
- Vance advocated for defunding Planned Parenthood and redirecting funding towards crisis pregnancy centers.
- J.D. Vance was supported by anti-abortion groups.
- J.D. Vance supported an anti-abortion protester who assaulted a Planned Parenthood volunteer.
- Vance claimed that the prosecution of an anti-abortion protester who shoved an abortion clinic escort was “vile.”
¶ Vance Supported Abortion Bans Without Exceptions For Rape Or Incest, Calling Pregnancies Conceived From Those Instances “Inconvenient”
¶ Vance Supported A Complete Ban On Abortion Including In Cases Of Rape And Incest, Situations He Referred To As “Inconvenient”
Washington Post Headline: “Ohio Senate Candidate J.D. Vance Argues Against Need For Rape And Incest Exceptions In Abortion Laws” [Washington Post, 9/24/21]
Vance Defended Abortion Bans Without Exceptions For Rape, Calling Pregnancies Conceived During Rape Or Incest “Inconvenient.” According to the Daily Beast, “In a local news interview published Wednesday, author and venture capitalist turned Senate candidate J.D. Vance suggested he would support prohibiting abortion even in cases of rape and incest—and dismissed those catalysts as ‘inconvenient.’ Asked by Curtis Jackson of Spectrum News 1 in Columbus, OH, whether a woman should be forced to give birth even if the pregnancy was the result of incest or rape, Vance replied that ‘the question betrays a certain presumption that’s wrong.’ ‘It’s not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term; it’s whether a child should be allowed to live, even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society,’ said Vance, who lags behind several Republican candidates in his Ohio primary.” [Daily Beast, 9/23/21]
AUDIO: Vance Said That He Was “Not A Fan” Of The “Various Exceptions” To Abortion Bans, Claiming That Fetuses Should Have Protection “From The Moment Of Conception.” According to Relatable With Allie Beck Stuckey via SoundCloud, “VANCE: So, I’m a pretty down the life, pro-life conservative. I really always have been even when I drifted away from the church. I always just cared about the abortion issue a great deal. I think those Christian morals were still influencing me. So, I’m not a fan of the various exceptions that are placed in. I think, obviously, you know, there are situations where maybe the life of the mother is threatened or look, we obviously got to recognize that there are tough circumstances and tough decisions to be made. But I really think that from the moment of conception, we should be protecting the life of the unborn.” [Relatable with Allie Beck Stuckey via SoundCloud, 7/22/21]
Vance Doubled Down On His Opposition To Abortion Ban Exceptions For Rape And Incest, Claiming That “Most” Abortions Are “Abortions Of Convenience”
VIDEO: When Vance Was Asked Whether He Believes In Exceptions To Bans On Abortion For Rape And Incest Vance Said, “I’m 100% Pro-Life.” According to Fox News via YouTube, “HOST: In terms of rape and incest, do you have an exception for that or no? VANCE: Look, like I said, I’m 100% pro-life. And I think that if you look at where most abortions are happening, they're not happening in the edge cases. They're incredibly tragic. They're incredibly terrible, but most of the abortion debate in this country is abortions of choice, abortions of convenience. And I think that's where we should focus because that's where the policy is actually happening. ’ [Fox News via YouTube, 6/20/22]
AUDIO: Vance Said That Women Should Be “Forced To Bring A Children To Term” In Cases Of Rape And Incest. According to the Dear Ohio Podcast via Soundcloud,“HOST: Should a woman be forced to carry a child to term after she was the victim of incest or rape? VANCE: Look, my view on this has been clear, and I think the question betrays a certain presumption that’s wrong. It’s not whether women should be forced to bring a child to term, it’s whether a child should be allowed to live even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society. The question to me is about the baby. We want women to have opportunities, we want women to have choices, but above all, we want women and young boys in the womb to have the right to life. Right now our society doesn’t afford that, I think it’s a tragedy and we could do better." [Dear Ohio Podcast via Soundcloud, 9/22/21]
¶ Vance Suggested Forced Birth Should Be Seen As An “Opportunity”
VIDEO: Vance Suggested That Forced Birth Should Be Viewed As An “Opportunity” According to WJW: Fox 8 News via YouTude, “VANCE: So one of our jobs, one of my jobs as hopefully your future senator, is to make sure that if a young woman does get pregnant, there are options available. That she isn’t forced to have an abortion because there's nothing else there, but she sees having a baby, maybe a little, you know, sometimes unplanned, of course, but maybe as an opportunity because of how we treat it.” [WJW: Fox 8 News via YouTube, 6/28/22]
¶ Vance Supported A Federal Ban On Abortion
¶ Vance Said He “Would Like Abortion To Be Illegal Nationally”
¶ Vance Said He “Would Like Abortion To Be Illegal Nationally”
AUDIO: Vance: “I Certainly Would Like Abortion To Be Illegal Nationally.” According to the What’s Left Podcast via SoundCloud, “VANCE: Yeah. I mean, I certainly would like abortion to be illegal nationally.” [What's Left Podcast via SoundCloud, 1/24/22]
¶ Vance Said That Abortion Should Not Just Be A State Issue And That The Country Needs A “National Right To Life”
VIDEO: Vance Said That Abortion Should Not Just Be A State Issue But There Should Be A “National Right To Life.” According to an Ohio GOP Senate Forum via YouTube, “VANCE: We need a national right to life in this country, because it's not just and shouldn't just be a state issue. This should be the federal - a national - issue. We need to defend the right of our children to be born.” [Ohio GOP Senate Forum via YouTube, 10/14/21]
¶ Vance Campaigned On Ending Abortion
Vance Stated That He Wanted To Eliminate Abortion. According to jdvance.com, “I am 100 percent pro-life, and believe that abortion has turned our society into a place where we see children as an inconvenience to be thrown away rather than a blessing to be nurtured. Eliminating abortion is first and foremost about protecting the unborn, but it’s also about making our society more pro-child and pro-family.” [jdvance.com, accessed 6/29/22]
VIDEO: Vance Said, “We Should Be For Abortion Restrictions, Even If They Are Bad For Business.” According to a Vance speaking event via YouTube, “VANCE: One of my most frustrating or one of the things I've been most frustrated about in American politics is when Stacey Abrams said, about a Georgia restriction abortion restriction a couple of years ago, that this was a bad bill because it was bad for business. That was the argument of our new corporate, neo-liberal class. And she was right. This is something those of us on the right have to accept, is that when the big corporations come against you for passing abortion restrictions, when corporations are so desperate for cheap labor, that they don't want people to parent children. She's right to say that abortion restrictions are bad for business. And what that means for those of us who want to protect the dignity of the unborn is that we should be for abortion restrictions, even if they are bad for business. We should support the dignity of human life, even if it means the corporate class doesn't like it.” [Vance Speaking Event via YouTube, 5/18/21]
AUDIO: Vance Claimed That Abortion Had Made The US An “Anti-Baby Culture.” According to Relatable With Allie Beck Stuckey via SoundCloud, “I think it’s obviously a grave moral sin to take the life of an innocent person. That’s one reason I care about the abortion issue. But I also think that abortion has really taken something from us as a society. And that thing is the recognition that babies are blessings to be cherished and nurtured and not inconveniences to be discarded. And when I think about the cultural effect of abortion on our society what I worry the most about is that we’ve become almost an anti-family and anti-baby culture” [Relatable with Allie Beck Stuckey via SoundCloud, 7/22/21]
¶ Vance Supported A 15-Week National Ban On Abortion
Vance Supported A National Ban On Abortion At 15 Weeks. According to the Washington Examiner, “Graham championed the third approach to abortion politics: imposing limits on abortion that go beyond the 24-week ban in place under Roe but that fall short of the more ambitious proposals of the anti-abortion Right. Supporters of this approach, including now-Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) argued the 15-week ban would bring American abortion law in line with most other countries and embrace something of a middle ground. ‘I think it's totally reasonable to say you cannot abort a baby, especially for elective reasons, after 15 weeks of gestation,’ Vance said at a debate in October. ‘No civilized country allows it. I don't want the United States to be an exception.’” [Washington Examiner, 1/19/23]
Vance Said That Republicans Should Back A 15-Week Abortion Ban. According to CNN, “MANU RAJU, CNN HOST: There's a debate within the GOP about how to deal with this. Some of them say, let the states decide. J.D. Vance of Ohio told me that Republicans should back a national 15-week abortion ban.” [CNN, 11/12/23]
Vance Urged Support Of National 15-Week Abortion Ban. According to a guest essay in the New York Times, “That said, in the immediate aftermath of seeing his state overwhelmingly support abortion rights this week, the Republican senator J.D. Vance of Ohio is urging a national Republican position on abortion in the form of a 15-week ban.” [Guest Essay – New York Times, 11/11/23]
¶ Vance Justified A National Abortion Ban Through Antisemitic And Racist Comments
Vance Claimed George Soros Would Finance Out Of State Abortions For Black Women If Ohio Banned Abortion. According to a podcast clip aired on MSNBC Politics Nation, “Your state`s Democratic Senate candidate, Tim Ryan, has made abortion a central issue in this very close race against Republican J.D. Vance, who said this on a podcast early this year. Take a listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) J.D. VANCE (R), OHIO SENATE CANDIDATE: ‘Let`s say Roe versus Wade is overruled, Ohio bans abortion in 2022 -- let`s say 2024, and then every day, George Soros sends a 747 to Columbus to load up disproportionately black women to get them to go have abortions in California. Of course, the left will celebrate this as a victory for diversity. If that happens, do you need some federal response to prevent it from happening because it`s really creepy? And I am pretty sympathetic to that, actually. So, hopefully, we get to a point where Ohio bans abortion in the California and Soroses of the world respect it.’” [MSNBC, 9/18/22]
¶ Vance Opposed Roe v. Wade
¶ Vance Said Roe v. Wade Was “An Abomination” And Affected How He Viewed Judicial Nominees
VIDEO: Vance Said That Roe v. Wade Was “An Abomination,” And That A Judge’s Opposition To Roe v. Wade Would Affect His Approval Of Judicial Nominees. According to the Center For Christian Virtue’s US Senate Forum via YouTube, “VANCE: Look, Roe v. Wade is an abomination, they should think that or they’re not going to get my vote, right. That's number one. Number two, they should believe fundamentally that the job of a judge is to interpret the law, not to make the laws as liberals and unfortunately, too many Republican appointed judges have done over the past 30 or 40 years. But to me, I you know, really what I look at a judicial nominee. I want to have a real conversation about what their underlying view of the Constitution is, because unfortunately, social conservatives have done the work. We have gone to bat for judicial nominations for 30 or 40 years, and very often we get stabbed in the back. You saw this with the Harriet Miers nomination to the Supreme Court. Thank God social conservatives were able to put pressure on it. Then we got Sam Alito, who is probably one of the best Supreme Court justices right now. But at the end of the day, I want a judicial nominee who understands that the fundamental battle in America cannot be solved by another corporate tax cut. But we do not need judges who toe the Chamber of Commerce line and stab social conservatives in the back. I'm going to try to figure that out when I talk to judicial nomination.” [Center For Christian Virtue U.S. Senate Forum via YouTube, 10/24/21]
AUDIO: Vance Said Roe v. Wade Was A “Terrible Supreme Court Decision.” According to a JD Vance meet and greet in Cincinnati, Ohio via YouTube, “VANCE: So today is the 49th anniversary of that terrible Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade. And tomorrow, I believe, excuse me, next year, I believe, on the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I’ll be here if you’ll have me. And I think we'll be marching in a world where Roe v. Wade has been overturned. But when that happens, we will have won one battle and another battle will begin, the battle to create that culture of life where all young women see being a mother as a great blessing for young men, being a father and becoming a real man has something to lean into instead of to hide away from, that being the fight of our generation, I believe that will be the fight of our generation. [JD Vance Meet and Greet in Cincinnati, OH, 1/16/22]
¶ Vance Cheered The Overturn Of Roe v. Wade
VIDEO: Vance Issued A Statement Celebrating The Overturning Of Roe v. Wade: “Today Is A Great Day. It Vindicates A Half Century Of Work And Gives Us An Opportunity To Live Up Our Founding Creed, That All Of Us Are Truly Created Equal.” According to WJW: Fox 8 News via YouTube, “HOST: Candidate JD Vance called the Supreme Court Ruling ‘a new phase for the pro-life movement.’ He issued a statement reading in part, ‘Today is a great day. It vindicates a half century of work and gives us an opportunity to live up our founding creed, that all of us are truly created equal.’” [WJW: Fox 8 News via YouTube, 6/24/22]
Vance Celebrated The End Of Abortion Rights In America. According to a press release from JD Vance via Twitter, “JD Vance, candidate for U.S. Senate in Ohio, today issued the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. ‘I am 37 years old, and for my entire life abortion on demand- decreed by an unelected panel of judges- has been forced on the nation. Today is a great day. It vindicates a half century of work, and gives us an opportunity to live up our founding creed- that all of us are truly created equal.” [Twitter, @JDVance1, 6/24/22]
Vance Said, “We Now Enter A New Phase Of The Pro-Life Movement” And Vowed To “Continue The Fight” Through Federal And Local Action. According to a press release from JD Vance via Twitter, “We now enter a new phase of the pro-life movement. We will continue the fight to ensure that every young mother has the resources they need to bring new life into the world. We will build an economy where it's possible to sustain and support our children. We will expand adoption and promote pregnancy centers, so that every child has the loving home they deserve. Some of our efforts will be federal, and others local, but all will be focused on the simple principle that life is worth protecting- from the moment it begins until its natural end.” [Twitter, @JDVance1, 6/24/22]
¶ Vance Supported State Abortion Bans
¶ Vance Supported Texas’ Abortion Ban
2021: Vance Defended A Texas Law That Banned Most Abortions After Six Weeks Of Pregnancy. According to Fox News, “In 2021, Vance defended a Texas law that banned most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Asked by Spectrum News in Columbus, Ohio, at the time whether he supported abortion exceptions for cases of rape and incest, he disagreed with the question's premise and said ‘two wrongs don't make a right.’‘At the end of day, we are talking about an unborn baby. What kind of society do we want to have? A society that looks at unborn babies as inconveniences to be discarded? … It’s not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term, it’s whether a child should be allowed to live, even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society,’ Vance said.” [Fox News, 7/12/24]
In Response To Speculation That Other States Would Pass Laws Similar To The Restrictive Anti-Abortion Law In Texas, Vance Tweeted: “This Is A Great Idea. Let’s Do It, Red States!” According to JD Vance’s Twitter, “Chris Hayes: ‘Am I nuts or is every red state going to pass and sign a carbon copy of the Texas law in the next week?’ JD Vance: ‘This is a great idea. Let’s do it, red states!’”
[Twitter, @JDVance1, 9/2/21]
The Texas Abortion Law Did Not Include Exceptions For Rape Or Incest And Deputized Private Citizens To Sue Abortion Providers
The Texas Abortion Law Banned Most Abortions After About Six Weeks Of Pregnancy. According to the New York Times, “A Texas law banning most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy went into effect on Wednesday, despite the 1973 Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right to the procedure, making the state the most restrictive in the nation in terms of access to abortion services. Other states have passed similar laws, but those measures face legal challenges. The Texas law is the first to be implemented. On a vote of 5 to 4, the court refused just before midnight on Wednesday to block the law.” [New York Times, 9/1/21]
The Texas Abortion Law Did Not Include Exceptions For Pregnancies Resulting From Rape Or Incest. According to the New York Times, “Does the law make exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest, or to protect the life of the mother? The law does not make exceptions for rape or incest. It does permit abortions for health reasons, but the exceptions are narrowly drawn, allowing a termination only if the pregnancy could endanger the mother’s life or lead to ‘substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function,’ Ms. Nash noted.” [New York Times, 9/1/21]
The Texas Abortion Law Deputized Private Citizens To Sue Anyone Who Performs An Abortion Or “Aids And Abets” A Procedure. According to the New York Times, “Doesn’t Roe v. Wade guarantee a woman’s right to abortion? Can the Texas law be challenged on constitutional grounds? The Texas law bars state officials from actually enforcing it, a design intended to make it difficult to challenge in the courts. Usually a lawsuit aiming to block such a law as unconstitutional names state officials as defendants. Instead, the Texas law deputizes private citizens to sue anyone who performs an abortion or ‘aids and abets’ a procedure. Plaintiffs who have no connection to the patient or the clinic may sue and recover legal fees, as well as $10,000 if they win.” [New York Times, 9/1/21]
¶ Vance Supported Ohio’s Six-Week Abortion Ban
VIDEO: Vance Said He Supported Ohio’s Six-Week Abortion Ban: “I Think That’s A Good Piece Of Legislation.” According to WDTN News via YouTube, “Ohio obviously has a heartbeat bill, that means we’re protective of the rights of the unborn. Again, I think that's a good piece of legislation, but when you have a legislation like that in place, you've got to ask yourself, how are gonna make sure that moms get the health care they need? How do you make sure that these kids are able to have a good life? And that, to me, is really where we got to focus as pro-life people.” [WDTN: 2 NEWS, 7/27/22]
Vance Praised Ohio’s Banning Abortion Around Six Weeks Into A Pregnancy. According to Cleveland.com, “Republican J.D. Vance, meanwhile, is opposed to abortion in nearly all instances, with no exceptions for rape or incest, and also has voiced support for Ohio's ‘Heartbeat’ law that now bans abortions once fetal heartbeats are detected, as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.” [Cleveland.com, 7/12/22]
The Ohio Abortion Law Banned Abortions After Six Weeks And Excluded Exceptions For Rape And Incest
Ohio’s Abortion Ban Prohibited Abortion After Six Weeks Of Gestation And Required Physicians Or Other Providers To Determine If There Was A Detectable Fetal Heartbeat Before Conducting An Abortion. According to CityBeat, “The law bans abortions in Ohio after six weeks of gestation. Previously, Ohioans had up to 20 weeks to seek an abortion. It is called the ‘Heartbeat Protection Act’ because physicians or other providers are required to determine if there is a detectable fetal heartbeat before conducting an abortion. If there is, the procedure cannot move forward.” [CityBeat 6/27/22]
The Ohio Abortion Ban Contained No Exceptions For Rape Or Incest. According to CityBeat, “The law contains no exceptions for rape or incest. It also only applies to what the state describes as ‘intrauterine pregnancies.’” [CityBeat 6/27/22]
The Ohio Abortion Law Required Physicians To Record And Report The Medical Condition Necessitating Each Patient’s Abortion And The “Medical Rationale” Behind Their Decision. According to CityBeat, “Physicians are required to record and report the medical condition necessitating each patient's abortion and the ‘medical rationale’ behind their decision. That documentation must be kept by the doctor for at least seven years.” [CityBeat 6/27/22]
¶ Vance Was A Staunch Opponent Of Ohio Issue 1
¶ Ohio Issue 1 Protected Reproductive Rights In Ohio
Ohio Issue 1 Enshrined Protections For Abortion Rights In Ohio Law. According to the Ohio Capital Journal, “‘The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety’ would allow every person to have the legal choice on abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care and continuing a pregnancy. It would also prohibit the state from interfering or penalizing an individual’s voluntary exercise of this right or anyone or entity that helps in utilizing this right. VOTE YES to support access to abortion, contraception and fertility treatment by enshrining it into the state constitution, protecting it. VOTE NO to oppose the reproductive rights amendment.” [Ohio Capital Journal, 10/19/23]
¶ Vance Opposed Ohio Issue 1
Vance Joined Extreme Anti-Abortion Advocates At Right To Life Rally To Oppose Issue 1. According to the Bucyrus Telegraph Forum, “Republican politicians, including Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and about a dozen state lawmakers, joined prominent abortion opponents like the Center for Christian Virtue and Ohio Right to Life in a rallying cry Friday to defeat the proposed constitutional amendment. Columbus Bishop Earl Fernandes offered an opening prayer.” [Bucyrus Telegraph Forum, 10/10/23]
Vance Said That Ohio Issue 1’s Passage Was “A Gut Punch,” But That He Would Not Give Up On Anti-Abortion Work. According to Vance via his personal Twitter, “For pro lifers, last night was a gut punch. No sugar coating it. Giving up on the unborn is not an option. It's politically dumb and morally repugnant. Instead, we need to understand why we lost this battle so we can win the war.” [Vance via Twitter, 11/8/23]
¶ Vance Supported Georgia’s Six-Week Abortion Ban
Vance Criticized Stacey Abrams For Opposing Georgia’s Six-Week Bill. According to a transcript of J.D. Vance’s speech, “But when I think about the modern Democratic Party’s rhetoric on abortion, the thing that worries me most is not what they’ve said about third trimester abortions, it’s what Stacey Abrams said about the Georgia heartbeat bill not long ago, that it was bad for business. And of course, she’s right. Workers with children are more expensive, their healthcare policies cost more, they are less dedicated to their jobs and more dedicated to their families, and I say we want more of those workers and less of Stacey Abrams’ workers.” [JD Vance, Speech To American Conservative Conference, 5/9/19]
Georgia Abortion Bill Banned Abortions After About Six Weeks And Required Police Reports To Be Filed For Rape And Incest Cases
The Georgia Law Banned Most Abortions After About Six Weeks. According to USA Today, “In 2019, the Georgia General Assembly passed the heartbeat law that banned most abortions after about six weeks. Cardiac activity can be detected by ultrasound as early as six weeks into pregnancy, before many pregnant people realize they are pregnant. Georgia law previously allowed abortions within 20 weeks of pregnancy.” [USA Today, 7/20/22]
The Georgia Law Included Rape And Incest Exceptions Only If A Police Report Was Filed. According to USA Today, “Rape and incest are exceptions to the law, as long as a police report is filed, in addition to later abortions when the pregnant person’s life is at risk or a serious medical condition renders a fetus unviable. Several groups sued to block the heartbeat law claiming it was illegal under Roe v. Wade and that the law's definition of ‘natural person’ to include unborn children was vague.” [USA Today, 7/20/22]
¶ Vance Referred To Abortion As Murder And Compared It To Slavery
¶ Vance Equated Abortion To Murder And Said That It Is “Killing Babies”
¶ In A Series Of Statements, Vance Said That Abortion Was “Killing Babies”
Vance Tweeted: “AFL-CIO Leader Used To Support The Family Wage So Workers Could Raise Children Comfortably. This One Wants Workers To Kill Babies So That They Have Fewer Distractions At Work.” According to a tweet from Vance’s campaign account, “AFL-CIO leader used to support the family wage so workers could raise children comfortably. This one wants workers to kill babies so that they have fewer distractions at work. Blue collar workers are increasingly voting Republican. It’s not an iron law of nature that their unions be led by people who care more about progressive abortion policy than jobs.”
[Twitter, @JDVance1, 12/5/21]
Vance Tweeted: “Democrats Only Believe In ‘My Body, My Choice’ When It’s About Killing Babies.” According to a tweet from Vance’s campaign account, “Democrats only believe in ‘my body, my choice’ when it’s about killing babies.”
[Twitter, @JDVance1, 9/9/21]
Vance Tweeted: “When The ACLU And Planned Parenthood Get Together It Only Means One Thing: More Babies Murdered.” According to a tweet from Vance’s campaign account, “When the ACLU and Planned Parenthood get together it only means one thing: more babies murdered. The Ohio Legislature has passed common sense legislation and this is a frivolous lawsuit.”
[Twitter, @JDVance1, 2/25/22]
¶ Vance Said That Society Was Broken Because Anti-Abortion Advocates Were Punished And Those Who “Cheered For The Death Of Babies” Were Rewarded
Vance Tweeted: “You Know Society Is Broken When People Who Defend Unborn Babies Are Punished and The People Who Cheer For Their Death Are Rewarded.” According to a tweet from Vance’s campaign account “You know society is broken when the people who defend unborn babies are punished and the people who cheer for their death are rewarded.” [Twitter, @JDVance1, 9/6/21]
¶ Vance Claimed That Abortion Was Similar To . BEcause Both Negatively Impacted “tHOSE wHO are Subjected To It”
Vance Compared Abortion To Slavery: “There’s Something Comparable Between Abortion And Slavery, And That While The People Who Obviously Suffer The Most Are Those Subjected To It, I Think It Has This Morally Distorting Effect On The Entire Society” According to Vice, “JD Vance compared abortion to slavery in an interview last fall, drawing a controversial parralel between America’s original sin and a procedure that until recently was a constitutional right. ‘There’s something comparable between abortion and slavery, and that while the people who obviously suffer the most are those subjected to it, I think it has this morally distorting effect on the entire society,’ Vance, the GOP nominee for an open Ohio Senate seat, said in an interview with the Catholic Current last October.” [Vice, 7/7/22]
Vance Said He Stood By His Comments Comparing Abortion To Slavery
VIDEO: Vance Stood By His Comments Comparing Abortion To Slavery Saying, “Certainly, I Still Stand By What I Said. According to WTVG 13 ABC via YouTube, “VANCE: Certain things about abortion that makes us less, I think, whole as a society, right. In the same way that I think slavery was, obviously, extraordinarily bad, you know, abortion also causes some negative follow-on effects. And that’s really the point of my comments, and certainly, I still stand by what I said.” [WTVG: 13 ABC via YouTube, 7/12/22]
¶ Vance Fought To Restrict Access To Reproductive Health Care For Workers
¶ Vance Opposed Requiring Employers To Provide Contraception To Employees
Vance Praised Brett Kavanaugh’s Legal Ruling Against The Obama Administration’s Push To Get Religious Institutions To Provide Contraception To Employees. According to an op-ed by JD Vance in the Wall Street Journal, “By my count, Judge Kavanaugh’s opinions have been adopted by the justices 11 times—a record of influence and persuasion that suggests he would be effective on the still-divided high court. [...] He sided with the Trump administration in rejecting the American Civil Liberties Union’s demand that the government facilitate an immediate abortion for an illegal-alien teenager in federal custody. He rejected the Obama administration’s attempt to coerce religious groups to provide contraception to employees.” [Op-Ed by JD Vance - Wall Street Journal, 7/2/18]
¶ Vance Supported Legislation To End Military Coverage Of Abortion Expenses
Vance Supported Legislation That Would Prevent Military Members From Having Abortions Covered Under Their Health Care. According to a press release from Senator Mike Crapo, “U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) joined 33 of their Senate Republican colleagues to stop the U.S. Department of Defense's (DOD) travel abortion policy. Last year, President Biden’s DOD announced it would pay for servicemembers’ and their dependents’ travel expenses to receive an abortion […] Risch, Crapo and Ernst are joined on the legislation by […] J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).” [Mike Crapo Senate Website, 3/16/23]
¶ Vance Opposed Abortions Later In Pregnancy
¶ Vance Said He Was “Appalled” By Abortions Late In Pregnancy
2019: Vance Said Conservatives Were “Rightfully Worried, And Even Appalled” By Many Democrats’ Support For Abortions Later In Pregnancy. According to a transcript of J.D. Vance’s speech, “We are on the Right rightfully worried, and even appalled, by some of the rhetoric from the Left on abortion these days. Governor Northam of Virginia talking about aborting a child in the third trimester, the fact that every 2020 Democratic presidential candidate has endorsed, in some measure, third trimester abortion.” [JD Vance, Speech to National Conservatism Conference, 7/1/19]
¶ Vance Called For Defunding Planned Parenthood
¶ Vance Called For Defunding Planned Parenthood And Using Their Funding For Crisis Pregnancy Centers
VIDEO: Vance: “I Think That We Do Need To Defund Planned Parenthood. We Need To Send That Money To Crisis Pregnancy Centers.” According to an Ohio GOP Senate Forum via YouTube, “VANCE: What the left is done with their abortion rhetoric – you know, 30 years ago, I disagreed with it. But it was safe, legal and rare. Now you have these crazy people saying we need to shout our abortions from the rooftops. This is satanic evil stuff that the left is pulling our country and we have to fight back against it. Look, I think that we do need to defund Planned Parenthood. We need to send that money to crisis pregnancy centers. [Ohio GOP Senate Forum via YouTube, 10/14/21]
¶ Vance Was Supported By Anti-Abortion Groups
¶ Vance Was Endorsed By Ohio Right To Life
Vance Was Endorsed By Anti-Abortion Group, Ohio Right To Life. According to the Association Press, “Republican JD Vance received the coveted endorsement Thursday of Ohio's oldest and largest anti-abortion group, Ohio Right to Life. Marshal Pitchford, board chair for the Ohio Right to Life Society, called Vance the best candidate to continue Portman's ‘exemplary pro-life service and statesmanship.’ ‘JD Vance is 100% pro-life and we are confident that he will not only advance the cause of life, but defend the unborn from Planned Parenthood and their allies in our nation’s capital,’ Pitchford said in a statement.” [Associated Press, 4/7/22]
¶ Vance Supported An Anti-Abortion Protester
¶ Vance Supported An Anti-Abortion Protester Who Allegedly Assaulted An Abortion Clinic Escort
¶ Mark Houck Allegedly Assaulted A Planned Parenthood Volunteer In An Attempt To Intimidate Abortion Workers
Mark Houck Was Indicted Based On Two Altercations That Injured A Volunteer Escort At Planned Parenthood. According to Rolling Stone, “The Department of Justice charged Houk with two counts of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The DOJ accused Houck of twice assaulting the volunteer at the Planned Parenthood Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center. According to the DOJ indictment obtained by The Daily Beast, the then-47-year-old Houck ‘forcefully shoved B.L. to the ground’ and then, in a second altercation the same day, ‘verbally confronted B.L. and forcefully shoved B.L. to the ground.’ Houck did this ‘;because B.L. was a volunteer escort at the reproductive health care clinic,’ the indictment said. The second assault caused ‘injuries to B.L. that required medical attention.’” [Rolling Stone, 1/30/23]
¶ Vance Called The Prosecution Of Houck “Vile”
Vance Defended Houck And Called His Prosecution “Vile.” According to the Denver Gazette, “Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) called on Congress to consider repealing a 1994 law that bars obstructing the entrance to abortion clinics in the wake of the acquittal of Mark Houck, a Pennsylvania anti-abortion activist. Houck was acquitted Monday of federal charges that he violated the Freedom to Access Clinic Entrances Act during an October 2021 incident outside a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in which he shoved clinic escort Bruce Love. Roy was one of several Republican lawmakers to express support for Houck in the hours following the Catholic anti-abortion activist's acquittal. In a tweet on Monday, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) called the prosecution of Houck ‘vile,’ adding, ‘We need answers from FBI leadership about who decided to prosecute an innocent man.’” [Denver Gazette, 1/31/23]