'Not realistic': Nikki Haley won’t endorse national abortion ban

Former South Carolina Governor and 2024 GOP candidate Nikki Haley suggested a national abortion is likely not possible during an interview with CBS' Face the Nation Sunday, The New York Timesreports.

Per Politico, the 2024 hopeful considers herself anti-abortion, but "has faced backlash for not pinpointing her stance on abortion rights," despite her promise "to address the topic 'openly' and 'directly,' but has shied away from getting too specific."

Today she shared, in her opinion, an abortion ban "at the federal level," is simply "not realistic."

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She added, "I think the media has tried to divide them by saying we have to decide certain weeks," Haley said. "In states, yes," but not at a national level because "It's not being honest with the American people."

The former governor emphasized, "You know, there's some states that have been pro-life, I welcome that. There are some states that have erred on the side of abortion. I wish that wasn’t the case, but it is. I think that we need to make sure that people’s voices are heard."

Regarding the significance of her choice not to endorse a national ban, The Timesreports:

That refusal is particularly noteworthy because just last month one of the nation's most prominent anti-abortion groups praised her for, it said, indicating that she would support a federal ban at 15 weeks. The group, S.B.A. Pro-Life America, has said it will not endorse a candidate who doesn’t pledge to go at least that far.

At no point had Ms. Haley made such a commitment publicly; in a speech at S.B.A. headquarters on April 25, she stuck to her 'national consensus' line. But at the time the group told a reporter for The Hill that it had been 'assured she would set national consensus at 15 weeks.'

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The Timesalso notes how Haley's comments differ New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu's — a potential GOP presidential candidate.

Also on Sunday, regarding the possibility of a federal, the GOP governor told MSNBC's Jen Psaki "the government should not be involved at all."

He asserted, "Not only would I not sign a national abortion ban, but nobody should be talking about signing a national abortion ban."

READ MORE: 'Republicans may be in big trouble': The abortion issue keeps getting worse for GOP

The New York Times' full report is available at this link (subscription required). Politico's report is here.