JD Vance reveals surprising turnaround on abortion… two years after saying he was open to a nationwide abortion ban

Senator JD Vance has apparently softened his stance on abortion since joining Donald Trump’s team.

The Ohio Republican now says that if Congress were to pass legislation for a federal abortion ban, the Trump-Vance administration would be “absolutely committed” to vetoing such legislation.

It’s a radical turnaround from Vance’s words of just two and a half years ago.

Four months before the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in June 2022 and sends abortion laws back to the states, the Republican vice presidential nominee said he was open to nationwide regulation.

“I would definitely like to see abortion illegal nationally,” Vance said on a podcast in January 2022, when he was running for the Senate.

Vance has now moved closer to the center on the issue, saying in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press that aired Sunday that he did not want “continuous conflict at the federal level on this issue.”

Democrats spent all day last week at their National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, criticizing Republicans for the Supreme Court ruling and saying a Trump presidency would further tighten restrictions on abortion.

Americans with horror stories about abortion laws and restrictions spoke on stage at the United Center last week.

One woman spoke of needing an abortion at age 12 after her stepfather raped her. Another couple shared the story of a mother who nearly lost her life due to an infertile pregnancy she couldn’t terminate because of restrictions in her state.

“Can the senator sitting here with me today commit that if you and Donald Trump are elected, you will not enact a federal abortion ban?” NBC host Kristen Welker asked the vice presidential candidate.

“I can absolutely commit to that, Kristen. Donald Trump has been as clear on that as he can be.”

He explained: “Donald Trump wants to end this culture war on this particular issue. If California wants to have a different abortion policy than Ohio, then Ohio has to respect California and California has to respect Ohio.”

“If such legislation came to Donald Trump’s desk, would he veto it?” Welker pressed.

“I think so,” the senator replied. “He specifically said he would.”

Vance said the primary reason abortion should remain a state issue is so the federal government can focus on overarching, existential issues like inflation, the economy, border security and U.S. involvement in foreign wars.

Many problems in the United States are solved this way. For example, firearms laws and regulations vary from state to state, even though possession of these weapons is legal at the federal level and even protected by the Constitution.

Since the 2022 Supreme Court ruling in the Dobbs case, the fate of abortion laws remains uncertain.

Democrats have been sounding the alarm over the decision ever since, saying Republicans will use it to introduce a federal ban that would severely restrict women’s ability to terminate pregnancies.

Trump has repeatedly said he has no plans to impose any federal restrictions or regulations on abortion — but Democrats don’t believe him.

Some Republicans, like South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, are pushing for a federal ban and say they will continue to pressure Trump — or any GOP administration — to enact laws nationally.