After Ohio vote, GOP Sen. Vance laments 'gut punch' for pro-life movement

After Ohio voters on Tuesday enshrined the right to an abortion in the state's constitution, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance lamented what he termed a "gut punch" and presented a litany of ideas for the pro-life movement to move forward.

"For pro lifers, last night was a gut punch. No sugar coating it. Giving up on the unborn is not an option," he posted on X. "It's politically dumb and morally repugnant. Instead, we need to understand why we lost this battle so we can win the war."

Vance relayed his experience campaign in against Issue 1, the ballot initiative that bolstered abortion rights, noting that voters often expressed a preference for unlimited abortion access if forced to choose between that and none at all.

"We saw this consistently in polling and in conversations. 'I don't like Issue 1, but I'd rather have that extreme than the other extreme,'" he said. "This is a political fact, not my opinion."

He went on to assert that the Republican Party needed to change voter perception of the GOP on the issue and improve trust with voters facing the challenges of unplanned pregnancies.

Vance pointed to former President Donald Trump's acknowledgement of the need for exceptions, insisting again that voters opt for liberal abortion policies over rigidly strict ones. The Ohio lawmaker also noted that the movement needed to pivot from legal warfare after securing the Dobbs v. Jackson court win and start changing public opinion before pursuing new laws.

Lastly, he pointed to the Republicans' spending deficit on the issue, asserting also that "Democrats are better at turning out in off year elections," and that the national GOP needs to work on improving party performance in both metrics.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.