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Almost immediately after Republican-appointed justices on the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, former Vice President Mike Pence issued a celebratory statement. This surprised no one: The Indiana Republican has long been a far-right crusader in the culture wars, so it stood to reason that hed cheer the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization.

But as The New York Times noted, the former vice president and likely national contender in the coming years didnt just applaud the developments. Pence also looked ahead to the next goal.

Mr. Pence ... called on abortion opponents to continue their work to ban abortion access in all states. Having been given this second chance for Life, we must not rest and must not relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the land, he said.

At a Capitol Hill press conference on Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared, Republicans are plotting a nationwide abortion ban. This wasnt hyperbole.

It was early last month when The Washington Post reported coincidentally, the same day that Politico published its scoop on Justice Samuel Alitos draft ruling, which ended up overshadowing the Posts article that conservative groups hoping to ban abortion have already met with their congressional allies about a possible nationwide ban on the procedure if Republicans retake power in Washington.

The discussions have reportedly advanced to such a stage that specific GOP senators have already sketched out policy details theyre eyeing a six-week abortion ban and wholl be involved in drafting the legislative restrictions.

All of this, of course, was contingent on Republican-appointed justices playing their role and overturning Roe, which is precisely whats happened.

Its not as if conservatives will simply pat themselves on the back, pop the champagne, and exit the arena with a sense of contentment. The Dobbs ruling has emboldened the right and begun a new conversation about how best to build on a regressive foundation.

A HuffPost report added, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), for one, allowed that a national abortion ban was possible after the initial leak of the Supreme Courts draft decision. Last week, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) said he would back a federal ban because any of us that believe this is wrong, its wrong, period.

Also on Friday afternoon, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told CNN hes prepared to support a national 15-week abortion ban, which Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey is helping write. (Smith has previously worked on a 20-week ban, but hes now moving his legislation even further to the right, now that hes effectively received a green light from the high court.)

To be sure, other GOP officials will advocate for different policy details, but therein lies the point: For many Republicans, the question isnt whether to pursue a federal ban on abortion, but rather, how.

The result is an election season question candidates arent accustomed to answering: If a national abortion ban reaches the floor, how will you vote?

There was some talk on Friday about the nation effectively dividing in two: In half the country, reproductive health care will remain largely intact, while in the other half, rights will disappear. For many Republicans, such a landscape simply isnt good enough.

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."

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For many in GOP, returning abortion to the states isnt enough - MSNBC