Vice President Mike Pence didn’t mince words Wednesday night when he defended his pro-life position during his debate with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the Democratic vice presidential nominee.
“I couldn’t be more proud to serve as vice president to a president who stands without apology for the sanctity of human life,” Pence said. “I’m pro-life. I don’t apologize for it.”
As Faithwire reported in the lead up to the VP debate, Pence and Harris are deeply divided on the issue of abortion.
While Pence is, as he stated to Harris, unapologetically pro-life, the progressive lawmaker is unwaveringly committed to expanding access to abortion and increasing federal funding for it. Both Harris and her running mate, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, are opposed to the Hyde amendment, a once-bipartisan stipulation that bars taxpayer dollars from being used to fund abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the health of the mother is at risk.
Additionally, both Biden and Harris have said Roe v. Wade needs to be codified into law, should the U.S. Supreme Court ever overturn the 1973 ruling that gave nationwide legal cover to abortion. Harris, who has a 100% approval rating from the pro-abortion group NARAL, also supports an anti-federalist plan that would require states that pass pro-life laws to have the bills reviewed by the federal government prior to implementing them.
Following Pence’s bold pro-life declaration Wednesday night, the vice president tried to get Harris to answer a question both she and Biden have repeatedly dodged: “I think the American people really deserve an answer, Sen. Harris. Are you and Joe Biden gonna pack the court if Judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed?”
Harris continually refused to answer the simple question. In total, she declined three times to respond.
“If you haven’t figured it out yet, the straight answer is they are going to stack the Supreme Court, if they somehow win this election,” Pence said.
Thanks in part to Harris, who used to be vehemently opposed to her running mate, Biden is in a precarious situation. In the past, the former vice president has rejected the idea of court packing. However, many of his Democratic competitors during the primaries — to include Harris — endorsed the idea of expanding the Supreme Court to create a liberal majority, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has said the tactic is “on the table.”