Nikki Haley, 2024 Republican candidate, vows to sign federal abortion ban if elected president

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Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley made her comments in an interview with Fox News Digital, Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics in Goffstown, New Hampshire.

MANCHESTER. N.H. - Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is pledging to sign a federal ban on abortion.

But Haley, the former two-term South Carolina governor who served as ambassador to the United Nations during former President Donald Trump's administration, emphasizes that passing such a ban would be highly unlikely without more Republicans in Congress.

On Wednesday, as Haley headlined the latest edition of ‘Politics and Eggs' at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, she committed to banning the procedure, should a bill doing so clear a Republican-controlled Congress. The speaking series at Saint Anselm College is a must stop for White House hopefuls.

But Haley did not specify details of a potential national abortion bill and said passage of such legislation through the U.S. Senate would be highly unlikely unless more Republicans are elected.

"It would take a majority of the House, 60 senators and a president to sign it," Haley said Wednesday, referencing Republicans’ ability to overcome a potential Democratic filibuster. "We haven’t had 60 Republican senators in 100 years."

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Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley gestures while addressing a breakfast gathering at Saint Anselm College's New Hampshire Institute of Politics, on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, in Manchester, N.H.  (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Answering a question from a student in the audience, Haley described abortion as "incredibly personal" and said her opposition to it would not waver, even if she were to campaign in a more liberal state.

"I can’t suddenly change my pro-life position because I’m campaigning in New Hampshire," Haley said. "It’s incredibly personal, and I’m going to treat it with the respect it deserves."

The issue of abortion has been front and center of the national conversation after the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, returning the combustible issue of legalized abortion to the states.

"Now it’s back in the states where it belongs," Haley emphasized.

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Republican controlled states have differed on abortion bans, with some lawmakers pushing for total bans, and some drawing the lines at six weeks or 15 weeks. Most bills allow exceptions in the case of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother.

While serving as governor of South Carolina, Haley signed an abortion ban after 20 weeks.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley passes an autographed wooden egg to a guest during a breakfast gathering at Saint Anselm College, Wednesday, May 24, 2023, in Manchester, N.H.  (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Earlier this week, the South Carolina Senate passed a new ban on abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is usually around six weeks of pregnancy. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who succeed Haley, has said he will sign it into law.

The bill is already facing legal challenges.

Asked in an interview with Fox News Digital if she would put her signature on the measure if she were still South Carolina governor, Haley answered "I would sign whatever bill is consensus. And if that’s what the people of South Carolina want, I would always do whatever the people of South Carolina wanted."

Several Republican presidential candidates have already said they would support similar bans.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who launched his presidential campaign on Monday, told Fox News recently that he would sign a 15-week ban into law.

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Republican front-runners, including former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis, appear to differ on the issue.

DeSantis, who launched his campaign Wednesday, recently signed a six-week ban in Florida.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched his presidential bid on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. (Getty Images)

Trump, who launched his presidential campaign last year, implied such a ban was "too harsh," although he has publicly expressed he is pro-life.

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Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is expected to announce a bid for the presidency, has expressed support for Florida’s bill and would sign a similar proposal into law.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.