Lately, Donald Trump has been so prominently covered in the media that writing about his countless scandals, missteps, and outrageous comments is getting exhausting, and redundant. At this point, if you haven’t yet recognized that he truly is a vile human, I’m not sure what more he could possibly do to convince you.

Getting less media coverage, however, is Trump’s right-hand man, Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Cool, calm, and collected, Governor Pence seems like a rational and experienced politician, a somewhat comforting addition to Trump. That is, he seems this way. According to Notre Dame professor of American studies and journalism, Robert Schmuhl, Pence hasn’t received much attention simply because “Donald Trump sucks the oxygen out of any environment in which he is breathing.” In reality, Mike Pence may be even more frightening than Trump himself.

While Trump speaks dramatically and freely about his opinions on America, it’s debatable whether he will actually be able to get anything done; he quite frankly lacks the intelligence, temperament, experience, and knowledge to successfully maneuver domestic and foreign policy. Mike Pence, however, is an experienced and successful politician and has proven to the American public that he is capable of navigating the governmental system. He has a long record of political experience in his repertoire, and that’s exactly why he is so scary.

Mike Pence described himself as, “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order.” His devout faith is obviously something he is entitled to, and extremely respectable. However, America is a nation founded on the principle of separation of church and state, so while religious elected officials are completely capable of being effective leaders and politicians, their religious beliefs really shouldn’t be influencing legislation. Nevertheless, Pence’s policies can be characterized as immensely reactionary and religiously-motivated.

Pence, similarly to Trump, has been known to side against science; he does not believe in global warming despite the dramatic climate change we’re experiencing and the virtually unanimous confirmation it has received from scientists worldwide, and he does not believe smoking causes lung cancer (to me, this doesn’t even make sense. What impetus does he have to deny that a horrific and fatal illness is caused by a disgusting and fatal habit?) He has advocated for prayer and the teaching of Creationism and the Bible in schools, even though it is not the job of American public schools to value and enforce Christianity, or any religion for that matter.

But perhaps most disturbing is the impact that a Trump-Pence administration would have on women’s rights. Pence’s dedication to the anti-abortion movement can be delineated as borderline obsessive, and he has left behind a trail of oppressive speeches and legislation.

In 2011, he led the fight to shut down the government over Planned Parenthood. As Indiana governor, he cut Planned Parenthood funding to half of 2005 levels, which wound up closing five non-abortion clinics in his state that provided STD testing, treatment, and information – a move that led to such a dramatic rise in HIV that federal intervention was necessary. He enacted an Indiana law banning women from aborting disabled fetuses and requiring women who not only have abortions, but also those who miscarry, to arrange for the burial or cremation of the remains – no matter how early the pregnancy ended. This is an egregious violation of women’s rights, and crosses the line of human decency. Many women have abortions because they cannot afford to raise children or are not at points in their lives where having children is feasible, or desired. It is the right of a woman to make this decision, and it could ultimately be an incredibly painful and difficult decision for a woman to make. Legally obligating these women to honor the “lost lives” of their fetuses – even if they do not consider the fetus a child – is an abhorrent invasion in the personal decisions, rights, and lives of women. In response, an effort has emerged called Periods for Pence. It encourages women to contact Pence’s office about their periods. Women have called his office and tweeted at his account with ironic descriptions of their menstrual cycles in an effort to protest his oppressive legislation on reproductive rights. The Periods for Pence Facebook page wrote:

"Fertilized eggs can be expelled during a woman's period without a woman even knowing that she might have had the potential blastocyst in her. Therefore, any period could potentially be a miscarriage without knowledge. I would certainly hate for any of my fellow Hoosier women to be at risk of penalty if they do not 'properly dispose' of this or report it. Just to cover our bases, perhaps we should make sure to contact Governor Pence's office to report our periods. We wouldn't want him thinking that THOUSANDS OF HOOSIER WOMEN A DAY are trying to hide anything, would we?"

Beyond his crusade against reproductive justice, Pence is possibly most known for discrimination against LGBT individuals. His Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2015 included parts that permitted private businesses to discriminate against LGBT individuals by refusing service on religious bases. This blatant discrimination, reminiscent of Jim Crow, is not only undemocratic and vile, but as a result, Indiana lost up to $60 million. This law drew so much media attention that Obama joked about it at the 2015 White House correspondents’ dinner, saying that he and Biden were so close that “in some places in Indiana, they won’t serve us pizza anymore.” After the extreme opposition this bill experienced, Pence ultimately signed an amendment to clarify that it did not permit discrimination against LGBT individuals, but it is still nationally considered as an extremely discriminatory and anti-LGBT bill, with Pence as a discriminatory and anti-LGBT individual.

Pence’s record doesn’t end there. He cut $1 million from domestic violence programs in Indiana and limited higher education programs, yet cut corporate taxes, making a powerful statement about his values as a person and politician. He has championed an effort to stop the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Indiana, co-sponsored Todd Akin’s infamous anti-abortion bill which redefined rape only as “forcible rape,” and attacked George HW Bush for signing the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Moreover, he attempted to curb the power of Indiana’s publicly elected Superintendent of Public Instruction, Democrat Glenda Ritz. For years, he has been hard at work enforcing an offensive and extremely conservative agenda.

Most recently, he has been accused by a progressive advocacy group of allowing the voter suppression when the state police raided a voter registration office that assisted in registering African Americans. He received positive coverage for condemning misogynistic and vulgar Trump’s comments, saying “As a husband and father, I was offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump in the 11-year-old video released (Friday). I do not condone his remarks and cannot defend them.” However, after Michelle Obama’s powerful speech denouncing Trump and his remarks, Pence stated that he did not “understand” her critique or “the basis of her claim.” He continued, when asked if his language was “sexually predatory,” “I already spoke about my concerns in the language he used in that 11-year-old video, but what he’s made it clear is that was talk. Regrettable talk on his part. But that there were no actions… Donald Trump has -- has asserted that all of these recent unsubstantiated allegations are categorically false and I do believe him,” and affirmed that he personally spoke with his running mate about the allegations. “Donald Trump made it clear, he apologized for what he said 11 years ago. He showed humility. He showed heart.” If considering Trump an honest, heartfelt guy doesn’t reflect poorly on a person, I’m not sure what does.

Pence stated that he and Trump “will defund Planned Parenthood and Reverse Roe v. Wade.” If you were somehow unsure on how Trump and Pence would actually limit women’s and reproductive rights, here’s how. Moreover, reversing a Supreme Court decision requires another Supreme Court case; this statement suggests that Trump and Pence will support the appointment of another very conservative justice for the ninth seat, which could have a drastic impact on progressive legislation that has transformed and improved America: everything from Roe v. Wade to Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage.

So please, don’t kid yourself by saying that a Trump presidency won’t really change your life. Trump probably isn’t capable of getting anything done as the chief executive, but his running mate is passionate about a reactionary and oppressive agenda, and he has the experience to make it happen.