MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Nikki Haley pledged Wednesday to sign a federal abortion ban, but noted that passage would be highly unlikely without more Republicans in Congress.
While Haley did not say how many weeks a federal ban would cover, her pledge to sign one is the most specific she has been on the issue during her presidential campaign. The former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said “no one has been honest” about how difficult a ban could be in a tightly divided federal government.
“It would take a majority of the House, 60 senators and a president to sign it,” Haley told the St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, and suggested that even a few GOP pickups in the 2024 election wouldn’t make a difference. at the step He was specifically referring to the supermajority needed for major legislation to clear the 100-member Senate. “We haven’t had 60 Republican senators in 100 years,” Haley said.
The comments come amid an ongoing debate over abortion restrictions among Republicans seeking their party’s presidential nomination. Sen. Tim Scott, Haley’s South Carolina running mate who launched his candidacy this week, has said he would sign a 15-week ban. Other candidates, such as former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, have said the issue should remain in states without a Republican supermajority in Congress.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to launch his campaign later Wednesday, recently signed a six-week ban in Florida, which former President Donald Trump later suggested was “too tough.” Former Vice President Mike Pence, preparing his own campaign, has said he supported the Florida bill and would sign the measure as president. The six-week mark comes before many women realize they are pregnant.
Asked by an aide how her own opposition to abortion would square with “overwhelmingly pro-choice” states like New Hampshire, Haley said she would not make a personal commitment.
“I can’t suddenly change my pro-life position because I’m campaigning in New Hampshire,” Haley said. “It’s incredibly personal, and I will treat it with the respect it deserves.
New Hampshire was one of the least restrictive states on abortion until 2021, when it enacted a ban on the procedure after 24 weeks of pregnancy. This year, lawmakers have considered more than half a dozen bills on both sides of the issue. With a very divided Legislature, none has passed.
In South Carolina, Haley signed a ban on abortion after about 20 weeks. On Tuesday, the South Carolina Senate approved a ban on the procedure after about six weeks, which the current Republican governor has said he would sign. Abortion rights groups have already pledged to file legal challenges.
“Now it’s back in the states where it belongs,” Haley said Wednesday, referring to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Haley referenced the national consensus in her speech last month at the headquarters of a major anti-abortion group, which has said it would not support any candidate for the White House who did not support at least a federal ban on abortion during 15 weeks. During those comments at the headquarters of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Haley said she saw a federal role in the issue, but stopped short of endorsing a federal ban.
Haley on Wednesday again referenced her 2015 call for the removal of a Confederate battle flag from South Carolina’s status as evidence of her ability to build consensus. He had previously rejected a Democratic challenger’s call to remove the flag, calling it a stunt. But Haley later called for his withdrawal after the racist murders of nine black religious in Charleston, South Carolina, by a white supremacist.
“It starts at the top, when you go and rule or lead, without judging your people,” Haley said. “But getting them to see the best of themselves to go to a better place, that’s the key.”
___
Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina, and can be reached at
