Every candidate who took to the GOP primary debate stage on Wednesday may have a political party in common but their views on policies to protect unborn life varied widely.
Fox News host and debate moderator Martha MacCallum kicked off the abortion portion of the Republican debate by asking candidates how they plan to market their pro-life positions to voters.
“Abortion has been a losing issue for Republicans since the Dobbs decision,” MacCallum falsely claimed. “In six state referendums, all have upheld abortion rights in this country. And even in red states, there are more swing state referendums that are coming up as we head into the elections.”
Despite her inaccurate framing of the abortion issue, most candidates spoke candidly about their support for pro-life policies. Many of their promises to shield the unborn, however, fell short of the national 15-week abortion ban that more than half of Americans want and pro-life organizations such as SBA Pro-Life America say they require from candidates who want their approval.
Here’s where all nine qualifying candidates stand on abortion after Wednesday night.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
DeSantis kicked off the abortion portion of the debate by condemning Democrats’ radical abortion-until-birth agenda but failed to commit to a federal abortion ban.
The Republican’s track record as a pro-life governor is indisputable. DeSantis’ most recent pro-life accomplishment was a heartbeat bill that effectively bars abortion beyond six weeks gestation and offers more resources for new parents.
DeSantis has repeatedly
