Former Vice President and presidential candidate Mike Pence calls for tighter federal abortion restrictions, but others keep their distance

Two Republican 2024 statesmanlike hopefuls talked up their absorption to termination connected Sunday connected the one-year day of the Supreme Court's determination successful Dobbs v. Jackson, the determination that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Presidential campaigner and erstwhile Vice President Mike Pence described past year's landmark determination arsenic "a historical victory" that condemned Roe v. Wade to "the ash heap of history."

Pence earlier this week called for each GOP candidates to perpetrate to a nationwide prohibition connected termination aft 15 weeks — but helium said connected Sunday that it was besides important to "stand with compassion."

"With 62 cardinal unborn lives lost, and conscionable astir arsenic galore women who person endured the 2 generations nether abortion, I deliberation we request to bring a connection of grace, we request to bring a connection of kindness," Pence said successful an interrogation connected "Fox News Sunday." "That's however we're going to triumph hearts and minds. It's truthful overmuch much important than authorities to me, but I besides deliberation it's a winning issue."

Pence said that a nationalist 15-week bounds would "align American instrumentality with astir of the countries successful Europe that virtually prohibition termination aft 12 to 15 weeks."

His telephone for tighter restrictions travel adjacent arsenic a caller national NBC News poll recovered that 6-in-10 voters stay opposed to the Supreme Court removing the nationalist close to abortion. The canvass included astir 80% of pistillate voters ages 18-49, two-thirds of suburban women, 60% of independents and a 3rd of Republican voters who disapprove, according to NBC News.

Pence besides said that helium "strongly supports" Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville's effort to clasp up subject promotions due to the fact that of Defense Department policies connected abortion, including a caller determination to reimburse costs for work members who question to different states to get an abortion.

"We simply cannot person the national authorities subsidizing termination successful this state straight oregon indirectly, and that includes the Pentagon," Pence said.

Another impermanent connected the Fox program, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), took contented with that comment. "We [Democrats] enactment Roe v. Wade," Cardin said. "We thought that was established law. It was an established instrumentality for astir 50 years. The Supreme Court determination was a extremist determination that reversed the rights of women to marque their ain health-care decisions."

That close "shouldn't beryllium subservient to what authorities legislatures are doing," Cardin said. "This is simply a idiosyncratic determination made by women with the proposal of their doctors and their families. And we don't deliberation we should effort to archer women erstwhile they tin marque those decisions."

But astatine slightest 1 GOP contender said connected Sunday that helium isn't apt to motion connected to Pence's idea. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who announced his bid for president earlier this month, said that portion helium supports the determination successful Dobbs, helium volition reason the conception of a national termination prohibition until a "national consensus" develops connected the issue.

"Conservatives similar me, for the past 50 years, person been arguing that this is not a national issue. It's a authorities issue. It's thing that states should decide. The Dobbs lawsuit 1 twelvemonth agone gave america the accidental to fto each authorities marque this decision," helium told ABC's "This Week" connected Sunday.

"What I anticipation to spot is that with each of the 50 states, but much importantly the radical of each of the 50 states deciding this issue, we past could spot a nationalist statement develop," Christie said.

"If a nationalist statement develops, I person nary occupation with the national authorities stepping successful and confirming that nationalist consensus."