House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) signaled on Tuesday that congressional Republicans will begin the process of introducing a 15-week federal abortion ban.
Republicans, both in Congress and on the campaign trail, have been debating the issue since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, and Stefanik’s speech sets a marker for the discussion for the 2024 election cycle.
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The right to life “is fundamental to human rights and the American dream,” Stefanik said during a Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America event celebrating the anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision .
Stefanik characterized Roe as a decision from “radical judges who frankly took the voice away from the American people.”
“The people are the most important voices” on the topic of abortion, Stefanik said. With the establishment of Dobbs, the New York representative said that there was a “historic opportunity” to “turn our attention to a permanent solution” on the issue of abortion through the electoral process.
When pressed on a definitive statement regarding a federal abortion ban, Stefanik said that “we do have a role” at the federal level, especially regarding “building consensus” at the national level on the divisive topic.
“We should embrace this debate,” Stefanik said, noting the vital role of the local, state, and federal governments in fulfilling the “promise of new and better policies” that are not only anti-abortion but also supportive of mothers, fathers, and families through the “continuum of life.”
The exact role of the federal government in abortion in the wake of Dobbs will be a defining debate of the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Although neither former President Donald Trump nor Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has made explicit comments about their views on an abortion ban, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has expressed that he would support a 15-week federal abortion ban if it crossed his desk as president. Former South Carolina governor and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley also expressed that she would support such legislation, although the prospect was “unrealistic.”
House Republicans have proposed several related bills and resolutions this session, some of which would lay the groundwork for federal legislation on abortion.
H. Res. 464 outlines that the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause ought to extend to the lives of unborn children, and it already has 20 co-sponsors after being introduced earlier this month.
Stefanik highlighted several other pieces of legislation, including H.R. 7, which would permanently ban federal taxpayer funding for abortion.
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Until H.R. 7 is codified, however, Stefanik said that the most immediate anti-abortion priority for House Republicans is to protect the Hyde Amendment , which is a rider to the cyclical appropriations legislation that prohibits taxpayer funding for abortion.
Republicans are “going to have to show strength,” Stefanik said. “We will get [it] done.”
