Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley says it is not realistic for primary candidates to say they will usher in a federal abortion ban.
Mrs. Haley said banning the procedure at a certain number of weeks of pregnancy might be feasible at the state level but not in Congress, given the divided legislature.
“I’m not gonna lie to the American people. Nothing’s gonna happen if we don’t get 60 votes in the Senate,” Mrs. Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and U.S. ambassador to the U.N., told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “We’re not even close to that on the Republican or the Democrat side. Why try and divide people further?”
Abortion is poised to be a major issue in the 2024 campaign. Liberals were furious over a Supreme Court decision last year that overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door to state restrictions, and Democrats used the development as an effective weapon against GOP candidates in the midterm elections.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel says Republicans have to confront the issue by staking out a clear stance on abortion and pressuring Democrats to say whether they are comfortable with abortion at any point in a pregnancy.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is poised to launch a GOP presidential bid, staked out an aggressive position by championing a six-week ban in his state.
SEE ALSO: One nation, divided by abortion: Blue, red state chasm widens after fall of Roe
Former President Donald Trump, in an interview published Monday, seemed to suggest the ban went too far.
“If you look at what DeSantis did, a lot of people don’t even know if he knew what he was doing. But he signed six weeks, and many people within the pro-life movement feel that that was too harsh,” Mr. Trump told The Messenger, a new outlet.
Mr. Trump has declined to say what kind of parameters should be imposed, if any, on abortion. Instead, he’s taken credit for appointing justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade.
“I’m looking at many alternatives. But I was able to get us to the table by terminating Roe v. Wade. That’s the most important thing that’s ever happened for the pro-life movement,” he said.
Mr. Trump has said the issue should be left to the states — a position that outraged Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which called it “an endorsement of abortion up until the moment of birth, even brutal late-term abortions in states like California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey.”
Mrs. Haley did not close the door to a federal limit but said it would not be responsible to push for one until there is a national consensus on late-term abortions.
“In order to do a national standard, you’d have to have a majority of the House, 60 Senate votes and a president. We haven’t had 60 pro-life senators in 100 years,” Mrs. Haley told CBS. “The idea that a Republican president could ban all abortions is not being honest with the American people, any more than a Democrat president could ban these pro-life laws in the states.”
“Let’s be honest with the American people and say: ‘Let’s find national consensus. Let’s agree on getting rid of late-term abortions,’” she said.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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