The GOP presidential candidates took more than 90 minutes during the televised debate on abortion rights, even though they were meeting just one day after Ohio became Ohio’s latest state to enshrine an abortion right in its constitution. The candidates were forced by the voters to acknowledge that abortion rights have been overwhelmingly endorsed on the ballot.
Even though they were gathered only one day after Ohio became the most recent state to enshrine a legal right to access abortion, it took the GOP presidential candidates more than 90 minutes to address abortion rights during Wednesday night’s televised debate.
After the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade next year, the candidates were compelled to admit that voters across the nation, including in Kansas, Kentucky, and Montana, have overwhelmingly voted in favor of abortion rights.
As Republican candidates reevaluate their positions in the face of political headwinds, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott was the only candidate on the debate stage to declare his support for a 15-week federal ban. The front-runner, former President Donald Trump ( who, once again, skipped the discussion ), also declined to say whether he would support the ban, which has become increasingly uncommon. Trump stated that women who had illegal abortions should be punished in some way when running for president for the first time. He later walked back on this statement, saying that” the doctor or any other person performing this unlawful act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman.”
According to polls, Americans increasingly support abortion access, and the other four candidates appeared to tacitly acknowledge this. Florida’s governor Ron DeSantis, who declared during the second debate that he would sign a 15-week ban, did n’t seem to want to reiterate that statement and instead said that his position is” for the culture of life.” ( Earlier this year, he signed a six-week abortion ban into law in his state. )
He continued,” At the same time, I understand some of these states are doing it a little bit differently,” adding that Republicans “have been caught flat-footed on these referenda, and they have been losing on them.”
Previous governor of New Jersey Chris Christie adopted a similar stance, calling abortion” an issue that should be decided in each state,” after declaring earlier this year that he would n’t support the federal ban.
I believe that each nation’s citizens, state by state, will make the decision for themselves.
Previous governor of South Carolina Instead of emphasizing that” no Democratic president can ban abortions,” Nikki Haley, who had previously committed to signing a national ban, noted that it would also require the support of Congress. She responded that she “would support anything that would pass” when pressed.
While she is “unapologetically pro-life,” she stated that she does not” judge anyone for being pro- choice, and I do not want them to do the same for me.”
Vivek Ramaswamy, who called for” sexual responsibility for men,” which he described as” the missing ingredient in this movement,” also zigged when others zagged as usual. ( He has stated that he supports six-week state bans but opposes a federal ban. ) Even though they were gathered just one day after Ohio became the most recent state to enshrine a legal right to access abortion, the GOP political candidates took more than 90 minutes to discuss abortion rights during Wednesday night’s televised debate. Voters have overwhelmingly supported abortion rights on the ballot, forcing the candidates to admit it.
The GOP presidential candidates took more than 90 minutes during the televised debate on abortion rights, even though they were meeting just one day after Ohio became Ohio’s latest state to enshrine an abortion right in its constitution. The candidates were forced by the voters to acknowledge that abortion rights have been overwhelmingly endorsed on the ballot.
Republican presidential candidates faced off at a presidential primary debate hosted by NBC News.Rebecca Blackwell/AP. Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.. It took the GOP presidential candidates more than 90 minutes to address abortion rights during Wednesday night’s televised debate—even though they were gathering just one day after Ohio became the latest state to enshrine a constitutional right to access abortion.. The candidates were forced to acknowledge that voters have resoundingly endorsed abortion rights on the state level all over the country—including in Kansas, Kentucky, and Montana—after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade last year.. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott was the only candidate on the debate stage who said he would endorse a 15-week federal ban—a position that has become increasingly rare as the Republican candidates reassess their stances in the face of political headwinds, with the front-runner, former President Donald Trump (who, once again, skipped the debate), also refusing to say whether he’d support a federal ban. While running for president the first time, Trump said, “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who received illegal abortions—a statement he later walked back, stating that “the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman.”. The other four candidates seemed to implicitly concede to the reality that, as polls show, Americans overwhelmingly support abortion access. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who during the second debate said he would sign a 15-week ban, appeared to evade reiterating that position, saying instead that he stands “for a culture of life.” (He signed a six-week abortion ban into law in his state earlier this year.). “At the same time, I understand some of these states are doing it a little bit different,” he continued, adding that Republicans “have been caught flat-footed on these referenda, and they have been losing on these referenda.”. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie—who said earlier this year he wouldn’t support a federal ban—took a similar position, calling abortion “an issue that should be decided in each state.”. “I trust the people in each country, state-by-state, to make the call for themselves.”. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who previously pledged to sign a federal ban, focused instead on emphasizing that “no Republican president can ban abortions” alone, noting it would also take the support of Congress. When pressed, she said she “would support anything that would pass.”. She said that while she’s “unapologetically pro-life,” she doesn’t “judge anyone for being pro-choice and I don’t want them to judge me for being pro-life.”. And, as usual, Vivek Ramaswamy zigged when others zagged—calling for “sexual responsibility for men,” which he characterized as “the missing ingredient in this movement.” (He has said he’s against a federal ban…but supports six-week state bans.)
