Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) told conservative activists there is a place for federal law on abortion, on the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade with its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
"Now, some of the states have become more pro-life and I welcome that. Some have become more on the abortion side; I wish that wasn't the case," Haley told attendees at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority Policy Conference. "But now there's the issue of, is there a place for a federal law. I think there is."
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"But in order for us to have a federal law. Let's be honest, it takes the majority of the House, it takes 60, six zero, Senate votes and a signature of a president," Haley continued.
Haley's comments are an about-face from her previous stance last month that a federal abortion ban was "unrealistic."
Haley championed her right-to-life stance as governor and as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during her speech. Yet she also noted that a federal abortion ban would face an uphill climb through a divided, sometimes bitterly, Congress.
"We haven't had 60 Senate votes in over 100 years. We might have 45 pro-life senators. So let's start talking about how we can come together on what we can agree on," she said. "I think we could do federal legislation that the American people will agree. Let's stop late-term abortions. Let's focus on encouraging more adoptions and making sure that we have kids with more love and foster care than not."
Other 2024 rivals are also stepping up their calls to embrace anti-abortion legislation. Former Vice President Mike Pence threw down a gauntlet the day before when he challenged all 2024 candidates to endorse a 15-week federal abortion ban.
"Let me say from my heart, the cause of life is the calling of our time, and we must not rest and must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life in the center of American law," Pence said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) championed his six-week abortion ban during his own speech.
"We have also delivered in Florida on promoting a culture of life, and that means signing the heartbeat bill into law that protects unborn children when there is a detectable heartbeat," he said on Friday. "It was the right thing to do."
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It remains to be seen whether former President Donald Trump will embrace a federal abortion ban during his keynote speech Saturday night. But he has bragged about nominating the three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe.
Ultimately, Haley reiterated a stance she's preached on the campaign trail. "We have to humanize this situation. We have to respect the fact that everybody has a story, and we have one goal: to make sure we save as many babies as possible and protect as many mothers as possible," she said. "That's our goal."