Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) battled over who had the most anti-abortion stance during a CNN primary debate in Des Moines, Iowa Wednesday night.
DeSantis slammed Haley over her often-repeated statements that she doesn’t support jailing American women who receive abortions.
“When she says things like pro-lifers need to stop talking about throwing women in jail, that’s a trope, no one I’ve ever met thinks that that’s something that’s appropriate,” DeSantis said of Haley. “I think when she starts bringing that in, that’s using the language of the left to try to attack pro-lifers.”
Haley hit back at DeSantis when given the chance to respond.
“These fellas don’t know how to talk about abortion,” Haley said. “I have said over and over again, the Democrats put fear in women on abortion, and Republicans have used judgment. This is too personal of an issue to put fear or judgment.”
The overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 proved to simultaneously give conservatives a long-hoped-for policy win while costing them key electoral races during the 2022 midterm elections and the 2023 off-year elections. The losses have prompted some soul-searching in the GOP over how to message on abortion.
As DeSantis courts evangelical voters in Iowa, a group known for their opposition to abortions, he has often touted signing a six-week abortion limit, similar to an abortion restriction Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA), a DeSantis supporter, has also signed into law.
Haley stated she was “unapologetically pro-life” a phrase she has often repeated while running for office. But has also called for compassion from both sides of the abortion access debate given the sensitive nature of pregnancy.
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DeSantis and Haley did agree on at least one issue, as they argued over abortion. “At the end of the day, I do agree with her on this: Donald Trump should be on this stage. He owes it to you, here in Iowa, to explain this change he’s had in this positioning.”
The Florida governor previously said that he didn’t believe Trump was sufficiently pro-life after the former president criticized his six-week abortion ban.
