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New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took former Republican Vice President Mike Pence to task after he bragged Republicans will have "Pro-Life majorities in the House and the Senate" following next month's midterm elections.
Pence's remarks came after Democratic President Joe Biden in a speech vowed to codify Roe v. Wade—the 1973 landmark decision that once protected a person's right to choose reproductive health care without excessive government restriction—into law should Democrats win the midterms.
In response, Pence declared the GOP would oppose Biden by "taking the cause of the right to Life to every state house in America."
You can see his tweet below.
\u201cI\u2019ve got news for President Biden. Come January 22nd, we will have Pro-Life majorities in the House and Senate and we\u2019ll be taking the cause of the right to Life to every state house in America! \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u201d— Mike Pence (@Mike Pence) 1666147229
Shortly afterward, Ocasio-Cortez responded to Pence with a short and sweet declaration of her own:
"And I’ve got news for you: Absolutely no one wants to hear what your plan is for their uterus."
None— Shaun (@Shaun) 1666228942
Pence's statement marked the boldest appeal to limit reproductive rights yet, though his declaration is not without caveats.
Republicans have faced significant pushback in the weeks since the Supreme Court overturned Roe, with one prominent GOP candidate—venture capitalist Blake Masters, the nominee in this year's Senate race in Arizona—making headlines after he was caught altering his campaign website to soften his position on abortion.
Nowhere was this pushback more apparent in recent weeks than when Kansas voters secured a win for reproductive rights activists after voting to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution, the result of an effort to ensure the state—typically Republican and conservative—remains a safe haven for abortion in the Midwest.
The GOP has doubled down since.
Last month, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham that would institute a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Graham had previously said reproductive rights should be left up to state legislatures to decide.
His decision to introduce the bill—effectively taking the decision away from the states—offers a preview of how Republicans will act in the event they retake control of Congress.
Many praised Ocasio-Cortez for shutting Pence down and joined her in criticizing him.
\u201cI love this woman!!! She\u2019s a hero of mine! \u2764\ufe0f\u201d— \ud835\udd42\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd6a\ud835\udd52\ud835\udd5f\ud835\udd5f \ud83e\udd92\ud83e\udd99\u2728 (@\ud835\udd42\ud835\udd56\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd5d\ud835\udd6a\ud835\udd52\ud835\udd5f\ud835\udd5f \ud83e\udd92\ud83e\udd99\u2728) 1666327212
\u201cThank you!! ROEvember is coming!!\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\udf0a\u201d— AJ Crawdaddy (@AJ Crawdaddy) 1666285172
\u201c@AOC you got that right!\u201d— Norma (@Norma) 1666269831
\u201cThe mid-terms will be the deciding factor regarding women\u2019s rights. NO ONE has a right to decide a woman\u2019s future except said woman and her physician. If you love your mother, aunt, sister and grandmother you must send the message that as a society we will not turn back the clock\u201d— equipoise1 (@equipoise1) 1666295398
\u201cHow about everyone stay out of our uteruses? That would be ideal. #ReproductiveFreedom\u201d— Lindsay (@Lindsay) 1666241487
\u201cThat\u2019s my girl!\u201d— FakihCo Alexander (@FakihCo Alexander) 1666327958
\u201cLadies, and the men that love them, for your daughters, nieces, sisters, friends\u2026it\u2019s on every single ballot! #VOTE #VOTEBLUE\u201d— EveryThingBravo (@EveryThingBravo) 1666235499
\u201cWhen your tweet has 30 times the number of likes that a former VP\u2019s tweet has, I think it\u2019s clear where America stands on the issue. #prochoice #VoteBlue\u201d— Matt Bernard \ud83d\ude37 (@Matt Bernard \ud83d\ude37) 1666311452
\u201cRight on, AOC!!!!\u201d— patrick (@patrick) 1666311508
In recent weeks, Republicans have continued to drum up support among their Evangelical Christian base, capitalizing on their belief the Democratic Party is the enemy of the unborn. Democrats have continued to focus on safeguarding reproductive freedom during midterm campaigns, warning of an unprecedented rollback should Republicans gain power.
While Democrats have largely been buoyed by their supporters' righteous anger in the months since the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturned long-established precedent on reproductive rights, Republicans are hoping they might have peaked too early and voters will be more likely to consider their rhetoric about the economy and inflation at the voting booth.