During this election cycle, Donald Trump has consistently made headlines due to his sexist, racist remarks. As a result, his running mate, Indiana governor and former representative Mike Pence, has fallen into the background. But if this were any other election, the media would likely be discussing Mike Pence's record of supporting policies that work against women and the LGBTQ community.
Gov. John Kasich of Ohio was reportedly approached to be Trump's running mate. An unnamed senior advisor to Kasich told The New York Times that Donald Trump Jr. asked Kasich if he had "any interest in being the most powerful vice president in history." Donald Jr. reportedly told the advisor that "his father’s vice president would be in charge of domestic and foreign policy."
If that offer was also presented to Mike Pence, that means that Pence could be responsible for leading the discussions about domestic and foreign policy. So, let's take a look at Pence's record on domestic social issues such as women's reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, and refugee relief:
Some believe he advocated for public spending on conversion therapy in Indiana, according to PolitiFact
Conversion therapy is an effort to change someone from gay to straight using forceful and often traumatic means. It has been proven to be ineffective, and it's also inhumane. Conversion therapy has been banned in five states and can include exorcism, electroshock therapy, and inducing nausea. If administered, it can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide. On the campaign website for his 2000 run for Congress, Pence writes, "Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior." Politifact had indicated this to mean Pence advocated for spending on institutions providing conversion therapy, which is something LGBTQ advocates say is clear from the statement. However, in a recent update notice, Politifact noted that a Pence spokesman first wouldn't answer directly whether Pence supported conversion therapy, and then later said that the statement was meant to be about safe sex practices, not conversion therapy — and so therefore, it is not entirely definitive what exactly Pence was advocating for funding to go to.
He is not pro-choice.
Pence has said on the record, "I long for the day that Roe v. Wade is sent to the ash heap of history."
He sponsored multiple bills to defund Planned Parenthood.
In 2007, Mike Pence introduced a bill to defund Planned Parenthood, and kept pushing for it until it passed in 2011.
"If Planned Parenthood wants to be involved in providing counseling services and HIV testing, they ought not be in the business of providing abortions," Pence told Sarah Kliff in 2011. "As long as they aspire to do that, I’ll be after them."
His policies inadvertently caused an HIV outbreak in Indiana.
After Planned Parenthood was shut down in Indiana, Scott County experienced an HIV outbreak. Planned Parenthood was the county's sole HIV testing center, and as a result of intravenous drug use, it saw an explosion of the disease in 2015. There were over 150 new cases reported in the tiny county of 23,000, according to the Chicago Tribune.
He has opposed marriage equality.
From his 2000 campaign website: "Congress should oppose any effort to put gay and lesbian relationships on an equal legal status with heterosexual marriage."
Pence also has a track record of opposing same-sex marriage in legislation. In 2003, he signed the Federal Marriage Amendment, which worked to officially define marriage as between one man and one woman.
He voted against fair pay for women and minorities.
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act protects women and minorities from wage discrimination, and was the first piece of legislation President Obama signed upon taking office in 2009. The law stipulates that victims of wage discrimination can sue their employers at any time during their employment and 180 days after receiving their last paycheck. It says that each discriminatory paycheck resets the 180-day filing period to make a claim.
Pence voted against it multiple times during its approval process.
Speaking of wages, he voted against raising the minimum wage.
He tried to block aid to Syrian refugees living in Indiana.
Pence made the decision to suspend Syrian refugee resettlement in Indiana in 2015, a move that a federal judge declared unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ruled in February 2016 in favor of Exodus Refugee Immigration, an Indiana nonprofit that aids refugees, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Pence's suppression of federal resettlement funds only targeted Syrians. The judge said, "The State’s conduct clearly constitutes national origin discrimination."
“The bottom line here is what the court said — you have to treat all refugees equally,” said Ken Falk, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana.
He has said that condoms are not effective in preventing STDs and pregnancies.
Pence told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in 2002 that, "Frankly, condoms are a very, very poor protection against sexually transmitted diseases."
He added: "Let's be clear, last year, the National Institute of Health, Wolf, and some 28 separate experts said at least a half dozen to 10 sexually transmitted diseases for which condom use has zero preventative value."
When used correctly, condoms have a 98% rate of protecting against unwanted pregnancies, are 98-99% effective in protecting against HIV, and drastically reduce the spread of other STDs.
See here for more about Pence's stance on condoms and contraception.
He has said the LGBTQ community shouldn't be protected from discrimination.
On the 2000 campaign website: "Congress should oppose any effort to recognize homosexual’s [sic] as a 'discreet and insular minority" entitled to the protection of anti-discrimination laws similar to those extended to women and ethnic minorities."
Which he then backed up with policy moves.
In 2015, Pence signed into law Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which "allows businesses and individuals to discriminate against anyone who offends their religious sensibilities," according to The Advocate. After receiving a wave of criticism, he signed an amendment aimed at alleviating some of the fears of discrimination.
In 2007, he voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. In a speech on the House floor, he said: "But the problem here is that by extending the reach of federal law to cover sexual orientation, employment discrimination protections, in effect, can wage war on the free exercise of religion in the workplace." In other words, he made the argument that protecting the LGBTQ community from discrimination would infringe on religious freedom.
He opposed the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" prohibited LGBTQ servicemen and women from discussing their sexual orientation or engaging in sexual activity. It was repealed and declared unconstitutional in 2010.
Pence opposed this repeal. In a speech on the House floor, Pence said: "As a conservative, I have a particular world view about moral issues."
He told CNN in December 2010 in an interview about the repeal: "We ought not to use the American military as a backdrop for social experimentation."
He opposed President Obama's transgender bathroom directive.
In May, President Obama passed a federal directive mandating that public schools allow students to use the bathroom corresponding with their gender identity, not the gender assigned to them at birth. If schools did not comply, they would risk losing federal funding.
"The federal government has no business getting involved in issues of this nature," Pence said in a statement.
He defied a bill aimed at combatting rape in prison.
The Prison Rape Elimination Act was passed by a Republican Congress and signed by President George W. Bush in 2003 and finalized by the Obama Administration in 2012, according to Mother Jones. Pence wrote a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder in 2014 about why his state is ignoring the law on purpose: Following the Prison Rape Elimination Act would "increase Indiana's exposure to litigation and liability."
He wrote: "Many additional staff would need to be hired, additional equipment installed, and resources put in place. This would require a redirection of millions of tax dollars currently supporting other critical needs for Indiana."
He refused to call the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan "deplorable."
Speaking with CNN's Wolf Blitzer following Hillary's "basket of deplorables" comment, the subject of David Duke (the KKK's former leader) arose.
Pence said, "We don't want his support and we don't want the support of people who think like him."
Wolf asked, "Well, you called him a deplorable? You would call him that?"
Pence replied, "No, I don't — I'm not in the name-calling business, Wolf. You know me better than that."
The Ku Klux Klan is a racist, anti-Semitic, white supremacist hate group responsible for countless hate crimes including murders. Its official newspaper officially endorsed Donald Trump and Mike Pence last week, according to The Washington Post.
In 2009, Pence sponsored a bill that would have prevented the children of illegal immigrants from becoming U.S. citizens.
He has said smoking doesn't kill.
On his 2000 campaign website, Pence says:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention begs to differ: "Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including nearly 42,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure."
Editor's Note: This piece has been updated to reflect an update from Politifact with regard to Pence's stance on conversion therapy.
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Related: Mike Pence Inspires Anonymous Account of Gay Conversion Therapy
