Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson said he would sign into law a 15-week national abortion ban if he were elected, as long as it provides "appropriate exceptions," USA Today reported over the weekend.
The former Arkansas governor told Fox News Sunday, "I've always signed pro-life bills. And a pro-life bill that comes to me that sets reasonable restrictions, but also has the appropriate exceptions: Yes, I would sign it."
His statement is a change from his previous position, having told ABC News "This Week" last year that states should have the "prerogative" on the issue.
In addition, Hutchinson told NBC News earlier this month that "it depends" whether he would sign a federal abortion ban, saying he would be "hesitant" to take power away from the states.
Although he reiterated those points to Fox News Sunday, he added that Democrats' attempt to defend and bolster abortion access across the country means Republicans could act on the national level while also including exceptions to save the life of a mother and in circumstance of rape and incest.
"I would prefer that this is an issue that's resolved by the states, because that's what the pro-life community fought for for 40 years in reversing Roe v. Wade," Hutchinson said.
But he added that "there's going to be more pressure on the Republican side and on the life side to put in those reasonable restrictions, and so I would support that if those restrictions are in place and that we can have a national standard to help save the lives of the unborn."
As governor, Hutchinson signed a near-total abortion ban trigger law that went into effect in Arkansas after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year.
The ban provides an exception if a mother's life is at risk but not for victims of rape or incest. Hutchinson said he laments that, stating the ban should be "revisited."
But he still defends the bill, saying its goal was to reduce abortions.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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