Pence calls for Roe v. Wade to be sent to 'ash heap of history' ahead of abortion ruling

Former Vice President Mike Pence delivered remarks ahead of oral arguments in a Supreme Court case that could overturn Roe v. Wade, urging justices to send the ruling legalizing abortion in the United States to the "ash heap of history."

"Today, as the Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments in those hallowed halls, we are here to declare with one voice 'no more,'" Pence said to applause.

The former vice president expressed optimism that momentum was turning in favor of the anti-abortion movement, particularly among younger Americans.

"Life is winning in America, but now we need life to win in the highest court in the land," Pence said.

Pence made the remarks at the National Press Club in Washington with prominent anti-abortion group the Susan B. Anthony List.

"I'm very hopeful and I do believe that Roe v. Wade will be overturned whether it's now or in the future," Pence told Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser in an on-stage conversation following his remarks, crediting the work of anti-abortion activists and the election of officials with anti-abortion views.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Center on Wednesday. The case involves a Mississippi law that bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of medical emergencies and severe fetal abnormality.

The Dobbs case poses one of the biggest threats to Roe v. Wade in the decision's history. Unlike many past abortion cases heard before the Supreme Court, which have been over regulations at the state level, Mississippi is directly asking the Supreme Court to overturn the landmark abortion ruling.

It is also the first abortion case that will be heard before the Supreme Court since Justice Amy Coney Barrett took her seat along with fellow conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.

"Now more than ever we need our new conservative majority in the Supreme Court to return the question of life to the states and the people," Pence said.

The former vice president predicted that if the high court overturns the landmark abortion decision, the debate would move to statehouses across the country.

The Supreme Court will likely announce its ruling on the case in June of 2022, potentially making the abortion debate a key issue in November's midterm elections.

"Thinking about the impact on a particular election seems small compared to the impact on the life of a nation," Pence said.

"The question before the court and before the American people is no less this, 'what kind of nation do we want to be in the 21st century?" he added.

A Washington Post-ABC News survey released earlier this month found that 60 percent of Americans say they believe the Supreme Court should uphold Roe v. Wade, while 27 percent say they think it should be overturned.

Pence has been vocally anti-abortion throughout his political career and became the first vice president to address the annual March for Life in 2017.

In July, the former vice president announced that his organization, Advancing American Freedom, filed an amicus brief asking the high court to overturn Roe v. Wade, The group also requested that Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld the constitutional right to the procedure, be overturned.