Mike Pence’s long record of opposition to abortion has energized anti-abortion voters in a way that Trump has not. | AP Photo | Getty Pence plugs enthusiasm gap for anti-abortion voters Anti-abortion leaders were skeptical of Trump, but Pence boosts their faith in GOP ticket.

Donald Trump’s selection of Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate could finally make anti-abortion voters excited to vote for the Republican ticket.

Pence’s long record of opposition to abortion has energized anti-abortion voters in a way that Trump has not. Pence wrote a bill to defund Planned Parenthood and other family planning clinics nearly a decade ago — long before it became a GOP policy staple — and he has signed numerous restrictions into state law. That gives anti-abortion voters confidence that Trump will be a champion of causes that matter most to them.


“Mr. Trump’s selection of Gov. Mike Pence is an affirmation of the pro-life commitments he’s made and will rally the pro-life grassroots,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which at one point during the primaries rallied voters to select anyone but Trump.

The Supreme Court’s recent ruling striking some of Texas’ anti-abortion restrictions, which has already started to knock down a few similar laws in other states, raised the profile of the abortion debate this year. And the vacancy on the Supreme Court after Antonin Scalia's death — and other openings possible during the next administration — added even more intensity.

Anti-abortion groups opposed Trump until he solidified his grasp on the Republican nomination and pledged to appoint “pro-life” judges, defund Planned Parenthood and support a 20-week abortion ban — a top legislative priority of anti-abortion groups in state legislatures and in Congress.

Those promises gave the anti-abortion advocates enough confidence to support him. But the enthusiasm was missing.

Anti-abortion groups worried that Trump — who in the late 1990s was espousing pro-abortion rights views — didn’t display the heartfelt opposition to abortion and concern for the “unborn” that drives their backers to the polls. Pence’s long record on abortion moved that needle immediately.

“With a solid pro-life voting record on abortion during his time in Congress, and through his pro-life actions as Indiana governor, Mike Pence has proven himself to be a strong leader for the right to life," said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, another key group that mobilizes voters.

As a member of the House, Pence introduced legislation to defund Planned Parenthood and other clinics that perform abortion beginning in 2007, long before cutting off Planned Parenthood became a GOP rallying cry last year. He also supported bills that would require women to get an ultrasound before an abortion.

As governor, Pence signed multiple anti-abortion bills into law, including a cut to Planned Parenthood funding. During his tenure, Scott County experienced an outbreak of HIV, which some linked to the closure of a local Planned Parenthood clinic that had done testing.

Most recently, Pence signed a controversial bill that would prohibit abortions at any stage of pregnancy based solely on the race, gender or on the diagnosis of a disability or a fetal abnormality.

That legislation has since been blocked by a federal judge. Indiana has not yet appealed but signaled that it might.

Pence has signed legislation that restricts abortion in all circumstances except for the life of the mother — meaning no exemptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. That’s a key difference from the top of the ticket: Trump has said that he wants to restrict abortion, but backs those three exceptions.

That stance by Pence particularly angers abortion rights supporters.

“Not only does he believe we should defund Planned Parenthood, which of course provides many well-women services for many American women — pap smears, breast cancer screenings — he also thinks that if a 12-year-old girl who is raped by her stepfather and gets pregnant, he doesn’t believe she should have the option of abortion,” said Rep. Diana Degette (D-Colo.), chairman of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, who served with Pence in the House.

An enthusiasm gap could be a liability for Republicans. Anti-abortion voters have typically been a reliable part of the GOP grassroots. Not only do they turn out on Election Day, they also volunteer and get other voters to the polls.

To be sure, Hillary Clinton’s ardent support for abortion rights — and the strong opposition to her candidacy by anti-abortion voters — may have made up for Trump’s perceived lack of commitment on abortion.

Groups that support abortion rights say having Pence on the ticket has only reinforced how bad a GOP presidency would be for women.

"Donald Trump just sent a terrifying message to the women of America: Your health and your lives are not important,” said Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “Pence has been on a yearslong crusade against women’s health care and access to abortion in this country, no matter how many women’s lives are put at risk.”