Christie on the possibility of federal abortion ban: ‘I don’t think we should be worried about that’

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) suggested that Americans shouldn’t be worried about a possible federal abortion ban if he was elected president, as Republican challengers have faced increasing pressure to adopt stricter abortion policies.

“What I stand for, Anderson, is what conservatives have been arguing for for 50 years, which is that Roe [v. Wade] was wrong, there’s no federal constitutional right to an abortion and that the states should decide. And I absolutely believe that each state should make their decision on this,” Christie told host Anderson Cooper during a CNN town hall Monday.

“The federal government should not be involved unless and until there’s a consensus around the country from the 50 states making their own decisions about what it should be. And if at that time, there’s a consensus that has emerged, well then, that’s fine,” he added.

Cooper asked Christie if he would sign a federal abortion ban if there was a consensus across the country while he was president, to which the former New Jersey governor quipped, “That’s a lot of ifs in there.”

“I don’t think we should be worried about that now. We should be out — for those of us who care about the life issue — we should be out in the states making our case for it,” Christie said, noting that, “we’re not at a consensus point.”

Christie isn’t the only Republican candidate to face questions about how strictly they plan to limit abortion in office. 

The issue of abortion galvanized Democrats, abortion rights activists and swing voters after the Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade, with some Republicans warning their party to pivot or moderate on the issue heading into 2024 or it could negatively impact their campaign.