Pence on abortion limits: ‘We just can't rest or relent’

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday defended his call for his fellow candidates in the Republican presidential field to support a 15-week national abortion ban.

"I believe we just can't rest or relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law," Pence said in an interview with host Shannon Bream that aired on "Fox News Sunday."

Pence had called for the national standard at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, a gathering of evangelicals in Washington. "Every Republican candidate for president should support a ban on abortion before 15 weeks as a minimum nationwide standard," he said Friday.

The former vice president said he thought abortion was "a winning issue" for GOP candidates in 2024, regardless of polling that has indicated opposition to national bans. The 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization essentially returned control over abortion to the states, and many, though by no means all, have taken the opportunity in the last year to enact legislation to curtail abortion.

"I think we need to bring a message of grace," Pence said of Republicans. "We need to bring a message of kindness. We need to come alongside women in crisis pregnancies. That's how we're going to win hearts and minds."

Pence also supported the hold that Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has placed on hundreds of military promotions to oppose a Defense Department policy on abortion. “This indefinite hold harms America's national security and hinders the Pentagon's normal operations,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said last month.

Pence said he stood with Tuberville. "I strongly support the stand that Senator Tuberville has taken," he said.