DeSantis Says He Would Signal a 15-Week Abortion Ban as President

Within the chaos of Wednesday evening’s noisy Republican presidential debate, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina interrupted Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida to pose a query on abortion that Mr. DeSantis had dodged instantly answering for months.

Would the Florida governor signal a “15-week restrict” on abortion as president, Mr. Scott requested, speaking over each Mr. DeSantis and Dana Perino, one of many moderators, in a means that made his full remarks troublesome to listen to.

“Sure, I’ll,” Mr. DeSantis replied.

The second — which largely escaped consideration in actual time however was famous by The Day by day Sign, a information web site revealed by the conservative Heritage Basis suppose tank — clarifies Mr. DeSantis’s place on abortion, a difficulty that has cut up the Republican major area. Mr. DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban in Florida this yr, however had not clearly dedicated to supporting federal laws limiting the termination of pregnancies.

Mr. DeSantis is utilizing abortion to assault former President Donald J. Trump, notably in socially conservative states like Iowa, the place he’s making his largest push to dethrone Mr. Trump because the race’s front-runner.

Regardless of appointing the Supreme Court docket justices who proved important in overturning Roe v. Wade, Mr. Trump has ducked questions on whether or not he would help a 15-week ban, the baseline place of many anti-abortion activists within the Republican Occasion. And, with a transparent eye on the overall election — the place a hard-line place on abortion may flip off reasonable and impartial voters and provoke Democrats — Mr. Trump has criticized Mr. DeSantis for signing the six-week ban, calling it a “horrible mistake.”

Mr. DeSantis used these feedback to open a line of assault in opposition to the previous president, telling “pro-lifers” that Mr. Trump was “getting ready to promote you out.” Different conservatives, together with Kim Reynolds, the favored Republican governor of Iowa who signed the same abortion ban, have additionally joined in criticizing Mr. Trump. (Few girls know they’re pregnant by six weeks.)

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Mr. Trump, mentioned that the previous president had “championed the lifetime of the unborn.”

Beforehand, Mr. DeSantis had usually mentioned he would help anti-abortion laws however had not dedicated to signing such a federal ban. On the first debate in Milwaukee final month, Mr. DeSantis appeared to hedge when requested if he would help a six-week ban as president. “I’m going to face on the aspect of life,” he mentioned, including that conservative and liberal states would wish to deal with abortion restrictions in another way.

On Thursday, Mr. DeSantis’s marketing campaign disputed the concept his feedback had been a change from his previous place, pointing to an interview he gave to Radio Iowa this month. Requested if he would signal a 15-week ban, Mr. DeSantis mentioned, “You set pro-life laws on my desk, I’m going to look favorably and help the laws.”

Different candidates working for the Republican nomination have been extra clear. Former Vice President Mike Pence has mentioned he helps at the very least a 15-week ban. Mr. Scott has additionally recommended he would, at a minimal, signal a 15-week ban. On the identical time, former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, who calls herself “unapologetically pro-life,” has knocked her rivals for what she has mentioned are empty guarantees, on condition that Republicans would discover it practically unimaginable to pressure such restrictions via a polarized Congress.

“Ron had months to advocate for a federal restrict,” mentioned Nathan Model, Mr. Scott’s communications director, “but discouraged efforts to guard life. If you happen to’re going to again down on a difficulty, that is the one to do it on. Glad Ron is now on board.”

Abortion barely featured at Wednesday’s matchup, after enjoying a much more outstanding function on the earlier debate. Solely Mr. DeSantis and former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey had been requested to remark. The query that prompted Mr. Scott’s interruption was a problem to Mr. DeSantis asking how he would win over abortion rights supporters in Arizona, a key swing state.

Mr. DeSantis responded that he had received a powerful re-election in Florida final yr. And he took the chance to criticize Mr. Trump, who skipped the controversy.

“The previous president, you understand, he’s lacking in motion tonight,” Mr. DeSantis mentioned. “He’s had quite a bit to say about that. He needs to be right here explaining his feedback to attempt to say that pro-life protections are someway a horrible factor.”

The subsequent day, Democrats seized on Mr. DeSantis’s pledge to signal a 15-week ban — a reminder of how potent each events see the problem in November’s election. On Twitter, the Democratic Nationwide Committee’s fast response “Battle Room” account mentioned that Mr. DeSantis had “an excessive anti-abortion file” and wished to “rip away reproductive freedoms from girls throughout the nation.”