Haley and DeSantis Desperate to Out-MAGA Each Other With Extreme Anti-Abortion Agendas as Iowa Caucus Nears

Ahead of Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis campaigning in Iowa this week, DNC National Press Secretary Sarafina Chitika released the following statement:

“Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis are desperately trying to out-MAGA each other with their support for a nationwide abortion ban and cruel abortion bans across the country, including the extreme ban passed by Iowa Republicans earlier this year that was made possible by Donald Trump’s crusade to overturn Roe v. Wade. While Haley and DeSantis brag about their far-right records, women across the country are forced to bear the consequences of the extreme abortion bans they tout. Voters will hold them accountable for their unpopular agenda, and Republicans up and down the ballot will pay the price come November.”

Haley recently pledged her support for extreme abortion bans before many women know they’re pregnant and has said she would sign any national abortion ban that landed on her desk.

New York Times: “Nikki Haley Says She Would Have Signed Six-Week Abortion Ban as Governor”

Bob Vander Plaats: “If you were governor of South Carolina and that came to your desk, would you sign the heartbeat bill?”

Haley: “Yes.”

Kirsten Welker: “Would you support a 15-week federal limit?”

Haley: “I would support anything that would pass.”

Haley: “Whatever we can get 60 Senate votes on, isn’t that better than what we have now? And if it’s– if it’s six weeks, that’s great. If it’s 15 weeks, that’s great.”

Haley: “So what can we do? Is there room for a federal law? I think there is room for a federal law.”

Fox News: “Nikki Haley, 2024 Republican candidate, vows to sign federal abortion ban if elected president”

Haley: “Yes of course I would sign [a federal ban].”

HuffPost: “Nikki Haley Says She ‘Absolutely’ Would Sign 15-Week Abortion Ban If GOP Had The Votes”

Haley: “When it comes to a federal bill, I think there is a place for that.” 

DeSantis has also made clear he would sign a national abortion ban.

New York Times: “DeSantis Says He Would Sign a 15-Week Abortion Ban as President”

ABC News: “In an easily missed moment during Wednesday night’s chaotic GOP presidential primary debate, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would sign a federal 15-week abortion ban.”

Radio Iowa: “On Saturday at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition event, you said as president, you would support abortion restrictions at the state and the federal level. Would you sign the nationwide 15-week ban that the Faith and Freedom Coalition supports?”

DeSantis: “So I’ve said from the beginning of this, as president, you put pro-life legislation on my desk, I’m going to look favorably and support the legislation.”

DeSantis: “As president, I’m going to welcome pro-life policies across the board at both [state and federal] levels.”

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.”

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

DeSantis: “I’m a pro-life governor. I’ve signed pro-life legislation. I’ll be a pro-life president. … Of course, there’ll be executive actions.”

When asked about the Texas Supreme Court blocking Kate Cox from getting an emergency abortion, Haley and DeSantis have touted their anti-abortion agendas – and DeSantis has avoided mentioning that Cox might not be allowed to receive an emergency abortion under Florida’s laws.

Jonathan Karl: “Do you think the Supreme Court in Texas made the wrong decision … Can you give a direct answer now?”

Haley: “I mean the Supreme Court said that the law that the state put was the one they had to follow, right?”

CBS News: “Asked about the case of Kate Cox, a Texas woman who sought an abortion when her health deteriorated as she carried a fetus with a fatal condition, DeSantis was vague. He said ‘these are very difficult issues’ and pointed to the Florida law’s exceptions allowing abortions when the mother’s life is in danger, though in Cox’s case, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that her pregnancy complications did not constitute the kind of medical emergency under which abortions are allowed.”

Gary Fineout, Politico: “The 6-week ban has not yet taken effect. Fla’s current 15-week ban does not include an exception for rape and incest. DeSantis signed that measure into law as well.”

The Messenger: “When DeSantis was asked about Kate Cox, a Texas woman who just lost a battle with her state’s court system where she sought an abortion after learning her fetus had a fatal condition, the Florida governor said ‘these are very difficult issues.’

DeSantis pointed to Florida’s abortion laws, which he helped institute, banning the procedure at 6-weeks. The Sunshine State also has exceptions to the law when the mother’s life is in danger, however, Cox was denied in Texas because the court deemed she did not meet the state’s exception requirements.”

Florida Politics: “DeSantis, however, has signed two laws that make it even more difficult than it is in Texas to get a medical exception to Florida’s abortion bans.”

Haley and DeSantis both have extreme anti-abortion records that include signing cruel abortion bans. 

Politico: “Haley, who ‘often clashed with members of her party because she labeled them insufficiently conservative’ on abortion,

  • ‘co-sponsored legislation in 2009 mandating a 24-hour waiting period between a woman’s abortion consultation and the procedure itself’
  • ‘voted to end abortion coverage for victims of rape and incest in the state health plan for employees’
  • ‘signed the most conservative abortion bill South Carolina Republicans were able to pass through both chambers at the time,’ and the law did not include exceptions for rape and incest.”

Newsweek: “Haley described herself as ‘very pro-life’ and has spent most of her political career fighting for anti-abortion legislation, including signing a law as South Carolina governor in 2016 banning the procedure in most circumstances after 19 weeks of pregnancy unless the mother’s life is at risk.”

TIME: “The law passed the General Assembly last week and blocks women from having abortions after 19 weeks of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. … Doctors who violate the law could face a fine or jail time.”

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.”

CBS News: “The bill makes it a third-degree felony for physicians or anyone who ‘actively participate(s) in’ an abortion in violation of the ban. It also prohibits state funds being used in any way to help a woman get an abortion from another state, and using ‘telehealth’ or mail to receive abortion medication.”

CNN: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law on Thursday a Mississippi-style anti-abortion measure that bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy without exemptions for rape, incest or human trafficking. The bill, which goes into effect July 1, does allow exemptions in cases where a pregnancy is ‘serious risk’ to the mother or a fatal fetal abnormality is detected if two physicians confirm the diagnosis in writing.”