DNC Statement on DeSantis Endorsing a National Abortion Ban

In response to Ron DeSantis endorsing a national abortion ban, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison released the following statement:

“We told you – Ron DeSantis wants to bring his cruel, extreme Florida agenda of banning abortion to the rest of the country. This is a new low in his desperate race to win the MAGA base. DeSantis’s latest attack on freedom only drags him and the rest of the 2024 GOP field even further out of touch with the American people, who overwhelmingly oppose MAGA Republicans’ push to ban abortion nationwide.”

At the same event where Kim Reynolds signed into law Iowa Republicans’ extreme six-week abortion ban, DeSantis praised the legislation and endorsed a national ban in the same breath.

Tucker Carlson: “You signed a ban on abortion after six weeks in Florida. Would you do the same as president, nationally?”

DeSantis: “Well, I’m very proud to say Kim Reynolds is here and she signed a great heartbeat bill today. We were able to do that in Florida. We had a lot of opposition to that. I’m proud to have been a pro-life governor and I will be a pro life-president, so of course I want to sign pro-life legislation.”

This doesn’t come as a surprise. Less than an hour after he started his presidential campaign, DeSantis opened the door to banning abortion nationwide.

DeSantis: “Dobbs returned the issue to the elected representatives as a people. And so I think that there’s a role for both the federal and the state.”

DeSantis in April signed an extreme law banning abortion in Florida before many women even know they’re pregnant – one of the most restrictive in the country.

NBC News: “Ron DeSantis quietly signs Florida’s 6-week abortion ban into law”

Tampa Bay Times: “Late Thursday night, in a private ceremony in his office, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill to ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. … His office announced the signing in a highly unusual news release sent out after 11 p.m., then updated his schedule to say the ceremony happened at 10:45 p.m.”

DeSantis also signed into law a different abortion ban – with NO EXCEPTIONS for rape or incest – last year that has created a horrifying reality for women in Florida.

Orlando Weekly: “Middle school-aged incest victim was turned away from Florida abortion clinics under 15-week ban”

Washington Post: “Two friends were denied care after Florida banned abortion. One almost died.”

CNN: “Florida law allows abortions after 15 weeks if two doctors confirm the diagnosis of a fatal fetal abnormality in writing, but doctors in Florida and states with similar laws have been hesitant to terminate such pregnancies for fear someone will question whether the abnormality was truly fatal. The penalties for violating the law are severe: Doctors can go to prison and face heavy fines and legal fees.”

###