July 22, 2024
As we predicted in November 2023, President Joe Biden will not be the presidential nominee for for the Democrats in 2024. In our statement on Sunday, Students for Life Action (SFLAction) President Kristan Hawkins said, “The most pro-abortion President in U.S. history, a self-proclaimed Catholic who betrayed his faith and Church on the LIFE issue, leaves the national stage in disgrace. But anyone who thinks that any successor will be an improvement hasn’t been paying attention. While the radically pro-abortion Vice President Harris waits in the wings, many other Democratic Party contenders have been discussed as possible replacements, all who embrace President Biden’s abortion views and worse.”
This is a view that the media apparently shares, given that they’re now predicting that the Biden-Harris administration’s loudest cheerleader on abortion, Vice President Kamala Harris, is only expected to get louder as the apparent heir.
Currently, Vice President Kamala Harris is the odds-on favorite now to secure the nomination, receiving endorsements from key Democrat figures like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, and President Biden himself.
She has also secured the support of numerous Democrat Governors – many of whom are also suspected to be in the short list for now open slot on the second half of the Democrat ticket.
Let’s do a deep dive into where these potential VP front-runners stand on abortion.
Vice President Kamala Harris
We know, we know, she’s the favorite. But anything could happen – including her keeping her current job as Vice President. So, what about her record on abortion?
The Biden-Harris administration LOVES abortion enough to make it the cornerstone of their re-election strategy in 2024. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have made plenty of campaign stops focused exclusively on that issue. Their 2024 State of the Union Speech before Congress made abortion the focal point of the evening.
Their top healthcare policy priority, the Women’s Health Protection Act, would allow abortions to be conducted up until birth nationwide, without any ability for the states to push back. The act also demands taxpayer funding and trampling on the conscience rights of medical professionals.
But even beyond what she’s done as Vice President, Harris looks to go even further than her former boss. According to Politico, “as a presidential candidate in 2019, Harris proposed going further than Roe by giving the Justice Department enhanced oversight over states’ abortion laws.”
This algins with what we saw in their top healthcare policy priority, the Women’s Health Protection Act. This law would allow abortions to be conducted up until birth nationwide, without any ability for the states to push back, demanding taxpayer funding, and trampling on the conscience rights of medical professionals.
Even before she took the job, she was a champion of the abortion industrial complex. During her time as California attorney general, she fought against a group that recorded sting videos at Planned Parenthood clinics.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
Starting off the slate of swing-state Governors being considered for the number two job to Biden’s number two, is PA Gov. Josh Shapiro. Like many others that will follow on this list, he’s pro-abortion to the point of extremist.
As Governor, he supports using state Medicaid coverage for abortion services, and refused to support any law to the contrary. What’s more, he advocated to end funding for women’s pregnancy resource centers, something Pennsylvania has done for 30 years in a bi-partisan fashion, all so women have more choices than just the barbarism of abortion.
What’s more, Gov. Shapiro is a favorite of Planned Parenthood, who was part of a coalition of pro-abortion groups that spent $150 million on governor’s races across the country.
He was also part of an alliance of Democrat Governors from 20 states to ensure abortion access was expanded in the aftermath of Roe being overturned.
Gov. Shapiro was also part of the ongoing battle between SFLAction, pro-life organizations, and state legislators over the funding for the University of Pittsburgh, which was caught in 2021 purchasing infant body parts from abortionists for experimentation.
READ: Pennsylvania Republicans BETRAY the Pro-Life Movement Over Human Experimentation Funding Battle
As the suspected front-runner to take the Vice President job, his position in a “rust belt” state like Pennsylvania is well established – but working class he is not.
From his early days at an exclusive private high school, to majoring in political science at University of Rochester, to getting his Juris Doctor in Law at Georgetown University, all Gov. Shapiro has known is privilege and politics. In fact, at no point in his career has he ever held any other job but a political one – but you can absolutely bank on the “working class background” rhetoric to come from his side of the stage if selected for Vice President.
Sen. Mark Kelly (Ariz.)
Former astronaut turned Senator of Arizona, another key swing-state, Sen. Mark Kelly he spoke out against the Dobbs decision, and in 2024, he likewise chastised the Arizona Supreme Court for defending a previously existing law that protected life from conception.
According to SFLAction’s own 118th Congress Pro-Life Generation Report Card, Sen. Kelly has an F, and has consistently voted against protections for the pre-born, including H.R.26 – Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would effectively stop infanticide. He voted in favor of the Women’s Health Protection Act in May 2022.
He is also a staunch advocate for Chemical Abortion Pills, and co-signed a letter with 40 other Senators in December 2023 saying the same thing.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper
North Carolina, yet another important swing state, which VP Harris has visited numerous times in the last year, is governed by a democrat, despite being a “red/purple state.” Gov. Cooper is seen as a moderate Democrat – but his record on abortion is far from it.
In April, he was on record being highly critical of Florida’s recently implemented heartbeat protection law, saying it was one of the last places [in the South] where “women could get the care that they needed.”
He also said that in the race for Governor in his own state, “This November, reproductive freedom is on the ballot. It will be on the ballot in North Carolina with Joe Biden v. Donald Trump and also with Josh Stein as Governor v. Mark Robinson.”
When the state legislature passed a restriction on abortion in North Carolina, Gov. Cooper moved to veto it, thankfully being overruled by the GOP supermajority.
And that is where the state allows abortion to this day – until 12 weeks. Hopefully stronger laws will be passed down the road with a new, pro-life governor.
Read more about his actions in office: More Than 150 Pro-Lifers Rallied in North Carolina to Oppose Governor Cooper’s Veto and SFLAction Commends North Carolina Legislators for Overriding Governor’s Veto, Allowing Commonsense 12-Week Abortion Prevention Bill to Take Effect
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear
Arguably the safest “red state” on this list, Kentucky still is governed by a pro-abortion Democrat named Andy Beshear – inheritor of a political dynasty. He also has probably the shortest resume when it comes to pro-abortion advocacy.
In 2022 Gov. Beshear vetoed a pro-life measure that allowed for more than 9 in 10 abortions on demand. Even less than one percent of lives saved was too much for that abortion extremist.
Currently, Kentucky has limited abortion except in cases to save a pregnant mother’s life and to prevent serious risk to a pregnant mother’s physical health. But that hasn’t stopped him from trying to export his pernicious brand of pro-abortion extremism to neighboring states.
He’s also recently gone after GOP VP nominee Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio for his ties to Appalachia – but this is again rich coming from a man who was born into wealth and privilege – and a myriad of conflict of interest complaints from his time as a lawyer.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
One of the more radically progressive candidates for Vice President, Gov. Tim Walz is an ardent and outspoken proponent of abortion. In fact, Minnesota is one of a handful of states with almost no limits on abortion. He signed the Protect Reproductive Options Act in January 2023, which codified the “right” to abortion with no limits or exceptions.
In April 2023, Gov. Walz signed a bill protecting abortion seekers coming to Minnesota from other states from prosecution, fines, or other legal actions, and other defensive measures against pro-life states. That same law
As a consequence, pro-abortion legislators shot down amendment after amendment (more than 60) of common sense restrictions including:
- Requiring licensure of abortion facilities
- Prohibiting abortions from being performed in unsanitary conditions
- Parental consent for abortions for girls under 18
- Protections for vulnerable adult women seeking abortions
- Prohibiting abortions based on sex
- Prohibiting abortions based on race
- Prohibiting abortions based on Down Syndrome diagnoses
- Prohibiting abortions when a woman is in active labor
He has also voiced support for a Constitutional right to abortion, and once infamously noted that “old white men” need to listen to women on abortion – ironic, given his own age and race.
READ: Student Leader Speaks Up Against ‘Dark Age’ for the Preborn in Minnesota
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker
Illinois is the abortion capital of the Midwest, largely thanks to Gov. JB Pritzker, a notorious funder of limitless abortion pushes in other states. During his tenure as governor, Pritzker helped launch “Think Big America,” which, according to the report from AP: “has already funded support for constitutional amendments favoring abortion access in Ohio, Arizona and Nevada. The effort also enhances the profile of the Democratic governor and multibillionaire equity investor and philanthropist.”
Illinois ranks as one of the most permissive states in the nation when it comes to abortion, and even has a Constitutional right to it in the State Constitution. He signed a law that also ended abortion copays and deductibles.
Abortion is the top issue for 2024 – the Democrats are going all in on it – and by the metric, Gov. Pritzker is a natural fit for their radical agenda. Worse still, given that this new organization is entirely self-funded by Gov. Pritzker alone, he has deep pockets to fund a run for the White House.
Learn more here: Illinois Governor Launches Pro-Abortion Group “Think Big America” for Brownie Points — But It Just Makes You Think Badly of Him
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
The Governor of a critical swing state, Gov. Whitmer has been gleefully pushing for more and more abortion in her state and nationwide. She’s also called for a return to the “Roe standard” of abortion – but she’s on record supporting policies that basically allow for limitless abortion. And to many in the media she’s seen as the gold standard to fight for abortion under the Democrat banner.
Michigan allows abortion until “fetal viability,” which we know is poorly defined – especially because modern medicine allows for more babies born early to survive earlier in a pregnancy.
Read more here on her actions in office: Whether in the Womb or in the Ground, Governor Gretchen Whitmer Wants to Make Sure that NOTHING Grows in Michigan – Except the Tax Base and here: Gubernatorial Bullies oppose Babies and all kind of Basic Freedoms, as an All-Female Cast of Pro-Abortion Candidates Flounder, notes Students for Life Action
California Gov. Gavin Newsom
It may be increasingly unlikely that Gov. Newsom will be on the ticket, given the residence of California that he shares with Kamala Harris, which can create some legal hurdles. But if they chose to work around this, Newsom is a very strong candidate for the pro-abortion left.
California is arguably the most powerful state under Democrat control, and his family has ties to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Newsom has embraced radical abortion policies, (like making California a “Sanctuary State” for Abortion), making him plug-in-ready for a future Harris Administration’s radical abortion agenda.
Before he resigned, Biden viewed Gov. Newsom as a likely future successor, saying: “He’s been one hell of a governor, man. Matter of fact, he could be anything he wants. He could have the job I’m looking for.” getting laughter from the room in response, reported CBS.
California, like many Democrat strongholds, permits abortion until “viability.”
Learn more about Gavin’s abortion track record reading: California Governor’s Obsession with Abortion is Confirmed, as “Maryland’s Third Senator” Sworn into Congress and The Man Who Isn’t Running for President IS Running His Mouth About Abortion Limits (Or a Lack Thereof) among many articles on his abortion activism at SFLAction’s news site.
