GOP candidates lock horns over federal abortion ban in first debate

The Republican divide over whether the federal government should restrict abortion access was on full display during the first GOP primary presidential debate of the 2024 race Wednesday.

Fox News’s Martha MacCallum, who co-moderated the debate, asked the candidates for their plans for action on abortion. She noted how abortion has consistently been a losing issue for Republicans on state ballots.

The majority of the candidates on the stage have so far avoided committing to federal action on abortion, some more directly than others.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, billing herself as “unapologetically pro-life,” reiterated her calls for finding a “consensus” on the issue, applauding how voters have been able to decide on the issue in some states.

Haley referenced the low likelihood of federal abortion restrictions given the current makeup of Congress, drawing the ire of former Vice President Mike Pence, who argued “consensus is the opposite of leadership.”

Pence called for a 15-week abortion ban, which the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has asked all GOP candidates to endorse. Haley in turn quipped that an anti-abortion majority has not been seen in the Senate in “over 100 years.”

“Don’t make women feel like they have to decide on this issue when you know we don’t have 60 Senate votes,” Haley shot back at Pence.

Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.) is the only other candidate who has explicitly endorsed a 15-week federal abortion ban. He echoed Pence in the debate, saying, “We can’t leave it to Illinois. We can’t leave it to Minnesota.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed a six-week abortion ban into law in his state, avoided directly committing to a six-week federal ban while adding he would “support the cause of life” as president. However, he also appeared to bring the issue back to leaving it up to the states.

“I understand Wisconsin is going to do it different than Texas. I understand Iowa and New Hampshire are going to do different, but I will support the cause of life as governor and as president,” DeSantis said.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who signed a near-total abortion ban in his state, was perhaps the most direct candidate on stage in opposing a federal abortion ban, stating, “I am on the record and I stand behind that we should not have a federal abortion ban.”

Holding up a mini Constitution, he said, “There were certain duties allowed to the federal government delegated to them by the states, the rest are left to the states, more importantly, or to the people,” drawing a round of applause from the audience.