The place the GOP presidential candidates stand on nationwide abortion bans, restrictions

WASHINGTON — The 2024 Republican presidential major marks the primary time in half a century that candidates will debate whether or not abortion ought to be restricted or banned on the federal degree with out the Roe v. Wade ruling making most of their proposals moot.

The U.S. Supreme Courtroom’s determination final summer season to overturn the nationwide, constitutional proper to an abortion despatched the query again to “the folks and their elected representatives.”

Many Republicans have interpreted that as sending the difficulty again to state lawmakers and GOP-led states throughout the previous yr moved to go bans and restrictions. The ruling additionally left the door open for Congress to go laws — a transfer many anti-abortion organizations wish to see.

Whereas some GOP presidential candidates at this early level within the marketing campaign are enthusiastic supporters of the concept, others are unwilling to again nationwide abortion legal guidelines.

The Religion & Freedom Coalition “Street to Majority 2023” convention June 22 to 24 in Washington, D.C. billed as “the nation’s premier pro-faith, pro-family occasion,” produced new particulars and commitments from a number of candidates.

Roger Severino, vp of home coverage on the Heritage Basis, a conservative suppose tank in Washington, D.C., stated throughout an interview it will likely be “essential” for Republican presidential candidates to launch clear proposals for what abortion laws they might advocate for if elected.

Heritage, he stated, is looking on the GOP candidates to push for a nationwide regulation that will prohibit abortion after embryonic cardiac exercise is detected, which occurs roughly six weeks right into a being pregnant.

Severino pressed again towards the stance from some Republicans in Congress that the difficulty is greatest left as much as the states. A Republican U.S. Home and U.S. Senate could be important for any GOP president to implement a nationwide abortion ban.

“Members of Congress mustn’t keep away from the difficulty by attempting to punt it off to the states after they have been elected on pro-life platforms for years and are anticipated to ship,” Severino stated. “That may be the peak of disingenuousness.”

Severino was much less clear about whether or not Republicans, in the event that they regain management of the Senate, ought to remove the legislative filibuster that requires not less than 60 senators to maneuver laws towards ultimate passage.

That provision ensures that absent one social gathering holding a supermajority, solely bipartisan payments go via the chamber. It has blocked Republicans from passing nationwide bans below unified management of Washington and Democrats from passing nationwide protections for abortion entry after they held management.

“The legislative filibuster is a extra difficult query as a result of as soon as it’s gone you possibly can’t take it again,” Severino stated.

The conservative group, he stated, is searching for a presidential candidate that possesses “management to select up the mantle of this new civil rights motion to guard harmless unborn life.”

Susan B. Anthony Professional-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser stated in a written assertion launched in Could that the group, one of many nation’s largest anti-abortion teams, desires the following president to push for a nationwide ban of not less than 15 weeks.

The group additionally desires that particular person to “work tirelessly to construct consensus and collect the votes vital in Congress.”

Dannenfelser has rebuked Republicans who argue abortion ought to be left as much as states, saying in a written assertion launched in April that it “is a morally indefensible place for a self-proclaimed pro-life presidential candidate to carry.”

“The Supreme Courtroom made clear in its determination that it was returning the difficulty to the folks to resolve via their elected representatives within the states and in Congress,” she wrote. “Holding to the place that it’s solely as much as the states is an abdication of duty by anybody elected to federal workplace.”

“This holds very true for the president, greater than every other federal official, as a result of she or he has a duty to forge nationwide consensus and progress on probably the most egregious human rights violation of our time,” Dannenfelser added.

President Joe Biden, prone to be the Democratic nominee for president, stated Friday that if reelected he would forestall any restrictions to reproductive rights or abortion entry.

Right here’s the place the present Republican presidential candidates at present stand on a nationwide abortion regulation, in accordance with their public actions, statements and marketing campaign web sites:

Doug Burgum: The North Dakota governor signed laws in April that restricts abortion entry within the state to 6 weeks for individuals who survive rape or incest. Abortion would then be banned for anybody apart from pregnant sufferers whose lives could be in danger or who’re having medical emergencies. His marketing campaign web site doesn’t have an official place on what he would assist as president.

Chris Christie: The previous New Jersey governor hasn’t been particularly clear about whether or not he’d signal a nationwide abortion ban if he gained election to the Oval Workplace, although throughout his run in 2016, Christie stated he would assist a 20-week ban.

Throughout a CNN city corridor in June, Christie stated he doesn’t imagine there’s a constitutional proper to an abortion and that the difficulty ought to be determined in every state. “The federal authorities shouldn’t be concerned until and till there’s a consensus across the nation from the 50 states making their very own choices about what it ought to be. And if at the moment there’s a consensus that has emerged, effectively, then that’s advantageous.”

Ron DeSantis: The Florida governor has signed a number of state payments for the reason that fall of Roe v. Wade final yr, together with a ban as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected, roughly round six weeks. That new regulation will take impact if the state Supreme Courtroom upholds a 15-week ban that he additionally signed.

DeSantis stated Friday throughout the Religion & Freedom Coalition convention that he was proud to have enacted laws that eliminated gross sales taxes from all child provides, in addition to payments to supply assist for foster care, adoption and single moms.

“It’s essential that we stroll the stroll and simply not speak the speak in the case of proper to life,” DeSantis stated.

Larry Elder: The radio host opposes abortion, however has stated he believes it ought to be determined on the state degree.

Nikki Haley: The previous South Carolina governor and ambassador to the United Nations within the Trump administration describes herself as “unapologetically pro-life” and stated throughout a CNN city corridor in June that she does imagine there’s a job for the federal authorities to play.

However Haley stated Republicans operating for the Oval Workplace have to be trustworthy with voters that it’s extremely unlikely they’d have not less than 60 senators to maneuver abortion laws previous the Senate’s legislative filibuster. As a substitute, she stated, the Home, Senate and White Home ought to search for what they do agree on and transfer ahead with that.

“I feel we will all agree on banning late-term abortions. I feel we will all agree on encouraging adoptions and ensuring these foster youngsters really feel extra cherished, not much less,” Haley stated. “I feel we will agree on medical doctors and nurses who don’t imagine in abortions shouldn’t need to carry out them. I feel we will agree on the truth that contraception ought to be accessible. And I feel we will all come collectively and say any lady that has an abortion shouldn’t be jailed or given the dying penalty.”

In 2016, Haley signed a invoice as governor that banned abortions beginning at 20 weeks with an exception afterward for the lifetime of the pregnant affected person. The measure didn’t have exceptions after that threshold for rape or incest survivors.

Will Hurd: The previous Texas congressman tweeted in Could 2022 that he’s “pro-life” and believes that life begins at conception, although he added he believes “we shouldn’t proceed to fail ladies – earlier than, throughout and after being pregnant.”

Throughout his time in Congress, Hurd voted for a invoice that will have instituted a nationwide abortion ban at 20 weeks gestation with exceptions for rape, incest or the lifetime of the pregnant affected person after that point. Hurd doesn’t state on his marketing campaign web site whether or not he’d assist a nationwide ban if elected president.

Asa Hutchinson: Whereas governor of Arkansas, Hutchinson signed a number of payments that restricted abortion, together with one which didn’t embody exceptions for rape or incest.

In the course of the Religion & Freedom Coalition convention on Friday, Hutchinson stated he would signal a nationwide abortion ban and work to stop federal {dollars} from going to abortion. Federal regulation solely permits federal taxpayer {dollars} to supply abortions in circumstances of rape, incest or the lifetime of the pregnant affected person.

“As president I’d battle to verify taxpayer funds are usually not used to assist abortion,” Hutchinson stated. “And if Congress acts, I’ll signal a federal regulation to limit abortion as effectively, as president of the USA.”

Hutchinson stated in April that he would wish to see the main points of any nationwide payments earlier than signing the laws.

“I’ve at all times signed pro-life payments that come to me … I actually assist the choices of the states,” he stated on the time. “And my longtime place is that abortion shouldn’t be allowed besides in three circumstances: within the lifetime of the mom and within the circumstances of rape and incest.”

Mike Pence: The previous vp throughout the Trump administration has a protracted report of supporting abortion restrictions and cheered the U.S. Supreme Courtroom’s determination final summer season to ship the difficulty again to lawmakers.

In the course of the Religion & Freedom Coalition convention on Friday, he rejected calls from a few of his fellow Republicans to depart the difficulty solely to state lawmakers. Pence referred to as for each Republican candidate to assist a nationwide abortion ban of not less than 15 weeks.

“Now some you’ll hear from, at this very podium, will say that the Supreme Courtroom returned the difficulty of abortion solely to the states, that nothing ought to be executed on the federal degree. Others will say that persevering with the battle to life has produced state laws that’s too harsh. Some have even gone on guilty the overturning of Roe v. Wade for election losses in 2022,” Pence stated.

“However, let me say from my coronary heart, the reason for life is the calling of our time and we should not relaxation and should not relent till we restore the sanctity of life to the middle of American regulation in each state on this nation,” Pence added.

Vivek Ramaswamy: The entrepreneur has stated abortion entry ought to solely be taken up on the state degree, not by Congress.

“I don’t imagine a federal abortion ban makes any sense. I say this as anyone who’s pro-life,” he stated throughout an interview with CNN in Could. “This isn’t a difficulty for the federal authorities. It is a matter for the states. I feel we must be specific about that. If homicide legal guidelines are dealt with on the state degree and abortion is a type of homicide, the pro-life view, then it is mindless for that to be the one federal regulation.”

Homicide, and different authorized definitions of killing, may be charged as federal crimes, nevertheless. On the state degree, Ramaswamy stated, he helps a six-week ban.

Tim Scott: The U.S. senator who has represented South Carolina for greater than a decade has co-sponsored a number of payments throughout his time in Congress, together with one that will outline life as starting in the intervening time of “fertilization or cloning” and a 20-week abortion ban. Scott didn’t co-sponsor a 15-week ban that was launched within the Senate following the Dobbs determination.

Scott has given blended solutions about when abortion ought to be authorized since saying his presidential bid. In mid-April, Scott declined to get into specifics on the marketing campaign path earlier than saying he would signal a 20-week ban. Scott then stated throughout an interview with NBC Information that he would “signal probably the most conservative, pro-life laws that they’ll get via Congress.” However Scott declined to enter particulars about exceptions to a nationwide ban, saying he didn’t wish to get into hypotheticals.

Francis Suarez: The Miami mayor spoke at size throughout the Religion & Freedom convention on Friday about his private religion and the “pro-life” values inside his household, although he didn’t get into specifics about what forms of laws he would press for if elected to the White Home

Suarez stated in mid-June throughout an interview with The Related Press that he would assist a 15-week nationwide ban on abortion, suggesting assist isn’t there for a six-week ban.

“We’re in a scenario the place 70% of the nation agrees with a limitation of 15 weeks, the place there may be an exception for the lifetime of the mom and an exception for rape and incest, and I feel that could be a place that may save an amazing quantity of infants,” Suarez stated to the AP. “If there was that form of federal regulation, that’s one which I’d assist as president.”

Donald Trump: The previous president nominated three right-wing justices to the U.S. Supreme Courtroom throughout his 4 years in workplace. That transfer was potential after Senate Republican Chief Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, held one seat open over the last yr of the Barack Obama presidency.

Trump has repeatedly referred to himself as a pro-life president, however hasn’t been particularly clear on the topic throughout his 2024 bid for the Oval Workplace. He elicited criticism from Susan B. Anthony Professional-Life America after he stated the difficulty ought to be left as much as state governments, not Congress.

SBA President Dannenfelser, nevertheless, stated later in a written assertion that she had a “terrific assembly” with Trump, throughout which he “reiterated that any federal laws defending these kids would wish to incorporate the exceptions for lifetime of the mom and in circumstances of rape and incest.”