Thread by @JessicaValenti

There have been a ton of headlines over the last few days about JD Vance promising that Trump won’t support national abortion ban.

But what reporters haven’t picked up on is that Vance used the word ‘ban’ in a very particular way to lie in plain sight.

If you read my newsletter, you know I’ve been tracking conservatives’ efforts to redefine ‘ban’ for over a year. Interviews like this are *exactly* why I’m so obsessive about language. So let’s get into it…

Anti-abortion activists and politicians know that abortion bans are extremely unpopular, so they no longer use that word. At all. 

That’s why you’ll hear Republicans say that they support a ‘restriction’ or a ‘national minimum standard’ even tho they just mean ‘ban.’

Their claim is that ‘ban’ only refers to a law that bans abortion without any exceptions at all—even for women’s lives. Under their definition there are no abortion bans in America!

This really started with the pres of SBA Pro-Life America, who then advised GOP lawmakers & candidates to use the same rhetorical trickery. This way, Republicans in danger of losing their seats could claim that they don’t support ‘bans.’

There were whole ass campaign ads in Virginia, for example, that said “it’s not a ban!”

https://x.com/JessicaValenti/status/1712886110420947106

That leads us to Vance and Meet the Press. Already, we’ve seen mainstream media outlets fall for anti-abortion language tricks: The NYT erroneously reported that Vance didn’t support a national ban because he said ‘minimum national standard’ instead

https://x.com/JessicaValenti/status/1813590772408533080

In his Meet the Press interview, Vance promised that Trump didn’t support a national abortion ban. But what he should have been asked is if they support any federal restriction or ‘standards’ because we know they’re crossing their fingers behind their back on the word ‘ban.’

Check out the language Vance used. He said, “No Republican with any reasonable power is saying that we should have a complete national abortion ban.” That word ‘complete’ is doing a lot.

But there’s more!

Check out this exchange when Vance was asked about Sen. Lindsey Graham’s abortion ban:

Vance doesn’t believe that Graham’s legislation—a 15-week ban that would force women to carry nonviable pregnancies to term—is actually an abortion ban.

So what does Vance think *is* a ban?

Again, to them a ‘ban’ is no exceptions even for someone’s life.

So when Vance says that Trump wouldn’t sign a national ban, *that’s* what he’s talking about.

This is why it’s so important that mainstream outlets understand anti-abortion language and the way Republicans are using it to trick voters.

Because now there are all these headlines about Trump opposing a ban when that’s just not true!

Shit like this is why I publish Abortion, Every Day and track anti-abortion strategy and language. So if you don’t already subscribe, please do! (Link is in my bio)