Donald Trump has repeatedly sent signals he will select Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. The candidate has met with Pence several times, and repeatedly mentioned him as a top contender in the veepstakes. Trump is slated to formally announce his running mate tomorrow at 11AM.
As we all await the catastrophe that will be a Trump ticket, it's important to consider what a Pence pick might mean for women. Even if Trump doesn't pick Pence, the fact that he has even considered him is a strong display of his contempt for women.
Governor Pence: The Same Governor Who Made Miscarriages a Reportable Offense
Earlier this year, Mike Pence sparked national outrage when he signed a draconian new abortion bill into law. Abortion clinics in Indianaand women's advocates across the nation immediately moved to protest the law.
Though billed as a measure that would ban abortions based on a fetus's disability status, Indiana's abortion law criminalized many abortions. It also requires that aborted and miscarried fetal remains be buried. The problem with this latter mandate is that many miscarriages happen early in a pregnancy—well before a woman knows she is pregnant, and weeks before there are any “remains” to speak of.
Women's health experts quickly pointed out that this essentially criminalizes periods, since any period could be an early miscarriage. Thus “Periods for Pence” was born. The group encourages women to share the details of their periods with Mike Pence and his staff. To date, the law has not changed.
Opposition to Women's Health
Despite his keen interest in women's periods and his apparent desire to intervene in the relationship between a woman and her doctor, Pence has taken a clear stand against women's health. One in five women has visited Planned Parenthood for a pap smear, mammogram referral, or some other vital women's health service. Yet Pence helped lead the fight to defund Planned Parenthood, taking health care further out of reach for the women most in need.
Punishing Rape and Incest Victims
Pence has made it clear that he is anti-choice in all cases. Most troubling of all, perhaps, is his record on choice for rape and incest survivors. Indiana's new abortion law bans abortion even for sexual abuse survivors after 19 weeks gestation.
Although abortions this late in pregnancy remain rare, they are vital to women's health and well-being. Many rape and incest victims do not realize they are pregnant until well into their pregnancies. Forcing them to carry a rapist's baby forces them to constantly live with their trauma. It also forces them to fund the exorbitant costs of having a child, since the law still does not require men to assist with prenatal care.
Once the baby is born, the woman's rapist can sue for visitation and even custody, allowing him to continually terrorize her and her child. Pence's position on abortion for rape and incest victims makes it clear that he's perfectly okay with this outcome.
A Reminder of Trump's Own Record
No matter who Trump selects as his running mate, Trump's own record and statements make it quite clear that a Trump presidency would prove disastrous for women. Trump has made it clear that he thinks abortion should be banned, and women should be penalized for terminating their pregnancies. He has a long history of attacking women on social media. He has derided women for breastfeeding while working. He has faced several rape accusations, including one by a woman who says Trump raped her when she was just 13 years old.
No matter who you supported in the primary, the time to rally around the Democratic nominee is now. Donald Trump's announcement tomorrow will be a direct threat to women no matter who is the VP pick.