Vice President JD Vance told anti-abortion activists Friday that the Trump administration was on their side, while acknowledging there were disagreements over how to use the “political system to advance life.”
Vance told the crowd at the 53rd annual March for Life rally about several anti-abortion policies the Trump administration has championed, but he understood some thought it was not enough.
“Now I must address an elephant in the room … a fear that some of you have, that not enough progress has been made, that not enough has happened in the political arena, that we’re not going fast enough, that our politics have failed to answer the clarion call to life that this march represents and that all of us, I believe, hold in our hearts,” Vance said during his roughly 21-minute speech to the audience.
Vance said the debate about the future of the movement and advancing its cause was ongoing.
“And I want you to know that I hear you and that I understand there will inevitably be debates within this movement,” Vance continued. “We love each other, but we’re going to have open conversations about how best to use our political system to advance life.”
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President Donald Trump has drawn criticism from anti-abortion activists for telling House Republicans earlier this month to be “flexible” on the Hyde Amendment, which largely prohibits federal funding for abortions. Trump made the comments in the context of negotiations to revive Obamacare subsidies on Capitol Hill.
Anti-abortion advocates are also angry with the president for not taking steps to curtail access to the abortion pill mifepristone. During Vance’s speech on Friday, supporters repeatedly shouted in the crowd, for the White House to “ban the abortion pill.”
Trump used to be “really pro-life,” said Benjamin D’Amico, 19, a student at Harmel Academy in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“In the recent years, I’ve seen that he’s sort of, like, led away from it a little bit,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s to sway votes or not. But I’m seeing a little bit of less support.”
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D’Amico said he was hoping to hear “a lot of support” from Vance, who is closer to the president than the supporters who traveled to Washington for the rally.
“I just hope that, like, he’s able to help the policies move towards our direction towards saving children and lives,” he said.
The vice president’s comments echoed his remarks to the Washington Examiner earlier this week, when he urged conservatives to “be realistic” on what the administration can achieve.
Anti-abortion groups have championed the administration’s efforts to protect the unborn, including announcing on Thursday that federal funding from the National Institutes of Health will no longer go toward research or grants that use aborted fetal tissue. The administration is also expanding the Mexico City policy, which prohibits federal funding for international nongovernmental organizations that provide abortions, and investigating whether Planned Parenthood affiliates illegally received $88 million in pandemic-era loans. The president also signed an executive order earlier last year that would enforce the Hyde Amendment.
Yet anti-abortion groups, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, had hoped Vance would use his speech to announce the end of mifepristone’s mail-order availability and a strengthening of the Hyde Amendment.
“We have made tremendous strides over the last year, and we’re going to continue to make strides over the next three years to come, but I’m a realist,” Vance said. “I know that there is still much road ahead to travel together. Take heart, take heart at how far we’ve come, but don’t lose sight of why we march.”
The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade was a landmark achievement for the anti-abortion movement. Trump has repeatedly said his three appointments to the Supreme Court tilted the bench conservative and paved the way for that decision. But in the aftermath, abortions have gone up due to the availability of mifepristone, and Trump has kept advocates at a distance since beginning his second term, to the chagrin of conservatives.
Trump did not attend the rally on Friday but instead sent a video message to attendees.
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“Six years ago, I was proud to be the first president in history to attend this march in person,” Trump said. “Since then, we have made unprecedented strides to protect innocent life and support the institution of the family like never before.”
“We have stopped forced taxpayer funding of abortion at home and abroad,” he continued. “We’re championing faith-based adoption and foster care and supporting our parents by investing $1,000 into an account that will grow over time for every newborn baby. With your help and support, we will continue to fight at the eternal truth that every child is a gift from God.”
Sydney Topf contributed to this report.