Ramaswamy, amid a abortion debate, again brought up his idea about “sexual responsibility for men.”
“We talked about access to contraception, adoption. Here’s the missing ingredient in this movement: sexual responsibility for men,” he said. “We live in an era of reliable genetic paternity tests that are 100% reliable, so we can say men deserve more responsibility, so we can tell women, ‘We’re all in this together.'”
Ramaswamy has discussed this on the trail before but it’s not entirely clear what he means or how it would be carried out. He’s said it should be codified into law that men have greater responsibility, financially or otherwise, when they are confirmed via paternity test to be a father.
“It’s not men’s rights versus women’s rights,” Ramaswamy said on stage. “It’s about human rights.”
-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler
The candidates were asked to address the path forward for Republicans on abortion in light of Democrats’ successes Tuesday night.
“I understand that some of these states are doing it a little bit different. Texas is not going to do it the same as New Hampshire. Iowa is not necessarily going to do it the same as Virginia. So you’ve got to work from the bottom up,” DeSantis said.
Haley said they need to find “consensus” and “don’t need to divide America over this issue anymore.”
“Let’s agree on how we can ban late-term abortions. Let’s make sure we encourage adoptions. Let’s make sure we make contraception accessible. Let’s make sure none of these state laws put a woman in jail or give her the death penalty for getting an abortion,” she said.
Scott reiterated his call for a “15-week federal limit” and promoted adoption.
Asked whether she would support such a ban, Haley said she would “support anything that would pass,” but said the Senate doesn’t have the votes.
Ramaswamy did not say whether he would support a 15-week ban when asked. In addition to access to contraception and adoption, he said the “missing ingredient” is “sexual responsibility for men.”
Christie said the issue should be left up to the states but said the “bigger issue” is tackling drug addiction.
“Pro-life is not just in the womb,” he said. “It’s for the whole life.”
“Three out of four Americans agree with a 15-week limit,” Scott said.
Survey data varies on this question. A June 2023 poll sponsored by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an anti-abortion group, and conducted by the Tarrance Group, found that 77% of respondents said abortions should be prohibited at conception, after six weeks or after 15 weeks.
But this poll was sponsored by a group with a position on the issue, and both questions told respondents that fetuses can feel pain at 15 weeks — an assertion that is not the universal consensus among medical experts.
Independent polls found a range of results on the question of an abortion ban after 15 weeks. A July 2022 survey from Harvard University’s Center for American Political Studies and the Harris Poll found that 23% of respondents said their state should ban abortion after 15 weeks, 12% said it should be banned at six weeks and 37% said it should be allowed only in cases of rape and incest. Collectively, that’s 72% who supported a ban at 15 weeks or less.
In two subsequent polls, the support for abortion at 15 weeks or less was not as strong. A September 2022 Economist/YouGov poll found that 39% of respondents supported a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, and 46% opposed it. And a June 2023 Associated Press-NORC poll found that for abortion up to 15 weeks, 51% of respondents said they would allow it, while 45% said they would ban it.
-Analysis by Aaron Sharockman, PolitiFact
After a commercial break, candidates were asked about what they would do to stop the flow of fentanyl into the country.
Many of them took aim at China and what was being brought into the U.S. across the border. Scott called for closing the southern border, and DeSantis repeated his argument for using military force against the drug cartels, which has drawn criticism from some who say it would be untenable as the cartels are in a foreign country that is an ally. Ramaswamy rejected the term “overdose” when it comes to fentanyl, instead calling it “closer to bioterrorism” that warrants an aggressive response.
Christie and Haley also addressed the need for more treatment options for those struggling with addiction.
“For every family there tonight who has lost a loved one to fentanyl or to any other type of opioid overdose, what you know is all you want is a chance for them to win their lives back,” Christie said. “When I’m president of the United States, we’re going to call this what it is. It is a disease. Like heart disease, diabetes or any other disease like cancer that can be treated, should be treated. We not only have to stop supply, but we have to lower demand and save lives.”
Haley said she agreed with the former New Jersey governor and that the focus should also be on mental health and addiction centers.
-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler