On the eve of the first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Republican presidential candidates played up their anti-abortion credentials at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s annual conference in Washington. But none made a bolder statement than former Vice President Mike Pence.

During his speech, Pence called on every Republican candidate to, at minimum, support a nationwide ban on abortions before 15 weeks of pregnancy. 

“It's important for us to remember the battle for life is far from over,” Pence said. “We've not come to the end of our cause; we’ve simply come to the end of the beginning.”

Pence argued a 15-week ban would put the United States more in line with most European nations.

The former vice president said he was proud to have played a small role in the Trump administration because former President Donald Trump nominated three of the justices who voted to end the constitutional right to abortion that had stood for 50 years. And Pence vowed to “stand every day without apology for the unalienable right to life.”

Several other candidates and high-profile Republicans also spoke at the conference Thursday. The anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which returned abortion laws to state legislatures, was just one of many issues they discussed, along with attacks on Democrats over transgender rights, border security, spending, energy, education and what Republicans describe as the weaponization of the Justice Department.

Many GOP presidential candidates, in the face of polling showing the Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion is unpopular among Americans, have been reluctant to talk about the issue on the campaign trail, often keeping their comments brief or giving vague answers to questions about what they would do as president. 

But Friday’s setting not only provided them a safe space to discuss abortion but, because of the coalition’s focus on religion, made it nearly impossible to avoid.

No other candidate speaking Friday made any campaign promises on abortion as detailed as Pence’s proposal for a 15-week ban, although former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson came the closest. He said he would sign any legislation passed by Congress restricting abortion nationally and would ensure taxpayer money is not spent supporting abortions.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis patted himself on the back for signing his state’s six-week abortion ban. 

“It was the right thing to do,” he said. “Don’t let anyone tell you it wasn’t.”

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said: “Thank God for the Dobbs decision.”

“We are creating a culture of life in America,” he said. “And that's a really good thing.”

He called out Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for saying during a Senate Banking Committee hearing last year that banning abortions deprives low-income women of completing their education and joining the workforce and that those impacted are commonly young Black women.

“My mother, a single parent mired in poverty, made the decision for life,” said Scott, who is Black. “And I thank God all the time that she chose to bring me in the world. 

“What a desperate position to take,” he said, referring to Yellen’s comments. “The radical left has lost so much faith in America they've lost faith in life itself, but we are here to tell them life is good.”

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie touted his vetoes of Planned Parenthood funding over his eight years leading the state, noting the Democratic-led Legislature never overturned them.

“Every life, I was taught, is a precious gift from God,” he said.

And Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said he’s “literally a product of the pro-life movement” because his parents met at an anti-abortion rally.

“I want to also express my profound gratitude to God for the celebration of the anniversary of what historians will call the greatest day for defending life in our history — the overturning of Roe v. Wade,” he said. “How many great people will be born in the future that can shape our world and can cure diseases who may never have been given a chance?”

Trump will deliver the conference’s keynote address Saturday night.