Ron DeSantis assured that he does not favor punishing women who dodge abortion bans. During an interview with NBC that was published on Monday, the presidential candidate was asked about the topic and whether he would favor a law that would outlaw the voluntary interruption of pregnancy at a national level, something he does not seem to be very sure about.
The Florida governor spoke with journalist Dasha Burns and abortion was one of the main topics of their conversation. When she asked him specifically if he supported imposing consequences on those women who managed to circumvent laws prohibiting abortion after some number of weeks, his answer was blunt.
"Absolutely not. No, I don't think this is a woman's problem. I think a lot of these women, you know, are in very difficult circumstances. They don't get any support from a lot of the parents," he replied.
.@NBCNews exclusive: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to @DashaBurns about abortion bans:
Burns: Would you veto any sort of federal bill that tries to put a nationwide ban in place?
DeSantis: We will be a pro-life President and we will support pro-life policies. pic.twitter.com/3qfWN4OrHm— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 7, 2023
In turn, she analyzed that one of the reasons why women decide to abort is that they don't have the necessary accompaniment from their loved ones. "And many of them, the number one reason why women choose to abort is because they do not receive support and feel abandoned. Now, in Florida we've provided support and we've put our money where our mouth is, but at the end of the day, you know, I wouldn't support any sanction on a woman," DeSantis added.
The current presidential candidates are divided on whether or not to support a law restricting abortion at the federal level. DeSantis, when asked about it, indicated that "We will be a pro-life president and we will support pro-life policies."
Tim Scott and Mike Pence favor pushing for such legislation, while the Florida governor and Trump have not defined their positions.
DeSantis enacted a ban on abortion after six weeks in the Sunshine State in April. "House Bill 5 protects babies in the womb who have beating hearts, who can move, who can taste, who can see and who can feel pain. Life is a sacred gift, worthy of our protection, and I am proud to sign this great piece of legislation that represents the most significant protections for life in the state's modern history," he said at the time.
