\n<\/p>\n
Welker asked again, would Johnson hold a vote on a national abortion ban?<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re nowhere in a universe where that would be possible right now,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI have to build a cultural consensus,\u201d he continued, \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnson has, infamously, been doing this work for years.<\/p>\n
As Vanity Fair<\/em>\u2019s Bess Levin<\/strong> has chronicled<\/a>, when Roe v. Wade<\/em> was overturned, Johnson called<\/a> it \u201ca great, joyous occasion.\u201d His goal for his home state of Louisiana, as he\u2019s explained<\/a>, is to \u201cget the number of abortions to ZERO!!\u201d As a lawyer, he worked<\/a> to shut down abortion clinics, as a legislator, he cosponsored the \u201cLife at Conception\u201d bill<\/a>, which would force pregnancy from the point of fertilization and included no exceptions for IVF, and, as a religious leader, he blamed<\/a> school shootings, in part, on pregnant people having access to abortion care.<\/p>\n On Sunday, Johnson encouraged anti-abortion organizations to keep working toward a cultural consensus on the issue before adding, \u201cWe need to take care of these ladies that are in difficult situations with their pregnancies. That\u2019s what the states are doing<\/a>, very effectively. Crisis pregnancy centers and others around the country, care pregnancy centers\u2014there\u2019s a lot of great work being done.\u201d<\/p>\n Crisis pregnancy centers are facilities that act as legitimate reproductive health care clinics for pregnant people but, in practice, aim to dissuade people from accessing certain types of care, like abortion and contraceptive options. After Dobbs<\/em>, \u201cTennessee boosted state support for crisis pregnancy centers from $3 million to $20 million; Florida raised it from $4.5 million to $25 million, and Texas went from giving the groups $5 million every two years to giving a whopping $100 million for 2022 and 2023,\u201d according to Jessica Valenti<\/strong>\u2019s new book<\/a> Abortion<\/em>.<\/p>\n Watkins concluded the interview by asking if Johnson, who is the second in line for the presidency, would accept and certify the results of the 2024 election\u2014a task that Trump\u2019s own running mate, JD Vance<\/strong>, has continuously refused<\/a> to commit to.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I\u2019m going to follow the Constitution, I\u2019m going to follow the law, that\u2019s my job, my duty. I took an oath to do that, and I will fulfill my oath,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n \u201cRegardless of who wins?\u201d Welker clarified.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, yes,\u201d Johnson replied. \u201cIf,\u201d he continued, \u201cit\u2019s free and fair.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n