Chris Christie dances around federal abortion ban
Mabinty Quarshie
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Former two-time New Jersey GOP Gov. Chris Christie avoided saying whether he would sign into law a federal abortion ban during a CNN town hall event Monday evening.
Christie previously supported a 20-week abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest, or to save a mother’s life before his first presidential run in 2016. CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Christie what were he beliefs on abortion now.
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“What I stand for Anderson is what conservatives have been arguing for 50 years, which is that Roe was wrong, that there’s no federal constitutional right to an abortion, and that the state should decide,” Christie first responded. “And I absolutely believe that the states should make their decision on this.”
Building off of remarks he said last week, Christie said the federal government should not get involved in abortion debates unless there was consensus among the 50 states.
When Cooper pressed Christie about whether he would sign a federal abortion ban that did have consensus, Christie danced around the topic. “I don’t think we should be worried about that now,” Christie responded. “We should be out, for those of us who care about the life issue, we should be out in the states making our case for it.”
Former President Donald Trump criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for signing a six-week abortion ban into law as “harsh.” Christie, however, wouldn’t say at what week abortion should be banned. “I don’t have anything in my heart about a time period. What I have in my heart is that every life is precious and should be protected,” Christie said.
Nor would he say that DeSantis’s abortion ban was “harsh.”
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“I think that’s Gov. DeSantis’s decision to make along with the legislature in Florida, and I think the people will judge him on whether that’s too harsh or not,” he said. “Because in the end, what I want is to encourage a debate, a discussion, and decisions in every state. We’ll get to feel what America really feels by doing that.”
Christie continued to argue that it’s up to states to decide abortion laws. “Let’s leave it to the states. And if a consensus emerges, we’ll know it,” he said. “And if the federal government feels they need to step in then, I’d certainly consider that, but not until a consensus is built across the country through, Anderson, the state-by-state process of each state deciding what the law should be in their state.”