DeSantis opposes punishments for women who get abortions in defiance of bans

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis stated in a Monday interview that he does not support punishing women who get abortions in defiance of state bans on the procedure.

"Not at all... No, I don’t think this is an issue about the woman. I think a lot of these women, you know, are in very difficult circumstances. They don’t get any support from a lot of the fathers," he told NBC's Dasha Burns. "And a lot of them, the number one reason why women choose to have an abortion is because they’re not getting support and they feel abandoned."

DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban in the Sunshine State earlier this year. He has further thrown his support behind Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville's Pentagon nominations hold in protest of the Department of Defense's policy of providing paid leave for servicemembers to travel out of state to obtain abortions in states where it is legal.

"[I]n Florida we’ve provided support and we’ve put our money where our mouth is, but at the end of the day, you know, I would not support any penalties on a woman," he continued.

The governor declined to state his position on a nationwide abortion ban. Burns had asked him whether he would veto such a law as president, to which he replied "[w]e will be a pro-life president and we will support pro-life policies."

Numerous Republican-led states have restricted abortion access following the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision that overturned the constitutional right to the procedure. 

DeSantis is currently seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2024. He places second in most polls, behind only former President Donald Trump.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.