"The Supreme Court made a decision saying that the American people should have access to that medication," Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio) recently told NBC. "Donald Trump has supported that opinion; I support that opinion. We have to have an important conversation in this country about what our abortion policy should be."
The remark came after "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker brought up Project 2025's call for minimum or no access to mifepristone.
"We want to make it easier and more affordable for young women and families to begin with," said Vance. "We want to lower housing costs [and] eliminate the surprise medical bills that so many families see after they have a baby. That's the Trump and Republican approach to this issue."
Considering that the abortion pill "kills a human life made in God's image," author and conservative broadcaster Liz Wheeler calls Vance's comments "hugely disappointing."
The senator has been mentioned as a potential running mate for Donald Trump, but Wheeler has advised him on social media to remember that "no position—even VP—is worth sacrificing your soul."
Dr. Michael L. Brown has also posted on X that he is "saddened" that Vance would call the abortion pill "medication."
Alexandra DeSanctis Marr, of the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) and National Review, similarly says this is no different what from Joe Biden and other "personally pro-life" Catholic Democrats did around the time of Roe, "conveniently becoming pro-abortion just as it appeared politically useful to do so."
Having done national interviews himself, Peter Range of Ohio Right to Life points out that "they're tough." And based off his personal conversations with Vance, he thinks he is one of the country's "most articulate defenders of life."
"I wouldn't want JD to say what he said in that interview, but I think the second part of his answer is where the pro-life movement needs to be, and that is providing women with choices when it comes to this issue of life," Range submits. "48% of women who are choosing abortion feel like it's their only choice, so how do we reach them?"
In the midst of this conversation and "hostile environment," he says Christians and pro-life politicians have a great opportunity to talk about rebuilding the family.
"85% of women procuring an abortion right now are single," Range notes. "The father isn't in the picture, or if he is, he is pressuring the woman to get an abortion. We have to get back to some basics of the pro-life movement."
Over time, he thinks JD Vance and others who might be disappointing pro-lifers right now will come to a place where they appreciate the core issues that surround abortion "and that we'll be able to move them to build a culture of life moving forward."
