In the 60 Minutes interview with Donald Trump and Mike Pence, attempts by correspondent Lesley Stahl to get insights into Pence was noticeably futile.
Pence sat and smiled tensely as Trump stole the show. When Pence got in a full sentence, his comment on Trump was, "I believe he'll be a great President of the United States."
Ok. But what do we know about the potential second-in-command? When Republican colleagues are queried the general response is, "He's a man of great faith."
How does that pan out in terms of his record in the Congress (2000-2012) and as Governor (2013-2016)? Well, if you are not within his particular spectrum of religious beliefs, it's not good news.
Pence has brought national attention to his state of Indiana because of his extreme views on abortion, as well as his perspective on the civil rights of those in the LGBT community. His goals for "affirming the value of all human life" appear to be selective.
Dating back to 2007, Pence has quite a history on women's reproductive rights. At that time, Pence fought to grant embryos in the womb "equal protection under the 14th Amendment." It was also the year he began his ongoing mission to defund Planned Parenthood. In 2010, he voted to prohibit funding for abortion under federal Obamacare plans.
When Pence became Governor, his opposition to abortion rights reached an unprecedented level. Indiana made headlines for the punitive legislation of House Bill 1337. It banned women from getting abortions when their fetus had genetic abnormalities among other restrictions. Upon authorizing, Pence emphasized, "I sign this legislation with a prayer that God would continue to bless these precious children, mothers and families." Even pro-life Republican elected officials disparaged the bill.
Women refused to accept his actions without pushback, launching the Twitter handle @PeriodsforPence. It received renewed traction during the Republican Convention.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
