Entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy came out in favor of an abortion ban “around six weeks” of gestation at the state level.
Stressing that he is “unapologetically” anti-abortion but that it’s an “issue for the states,” Ramaswamy argued that roughly six weeks is a good benchmark because that is when there tend to be the first signs of brainwave activity within a fetus.
NIKKI HALEY CALLS FOR A NATIONAL ‘CONSENSUS’ ON ABORTION IN SPEECH
“Life ends right when … brainwaves end — that’s how we determine when life ends on the back end. I think we should apply a consistent principle on the front end, that’s around the six-week mark that brainwaves do begin,” Ramaswamy told Fox News’s America’s Newsroom Wednesday.
“This is not an answer for the president, because I think the federal government should be out of this. But if you’re a governor or you’re dealing with this in the states, I can share with you my opinion on it,” Ramaswamy said.
Ramaswamy would also carve out exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. The period from week five into week six of pregnancy is generally when “the first electrical brain activity” starts to occur, according to the New York Times.
Republican lawmakers in states such as Georgia, Ohio, and Florida have passed so-called heartbeat bills that restrict abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which may occur around six weeks of gestation as well.
Some scientists dispute whether that is an actual heartbeat. Critics also argue that many women don’t know they’re pregnant by that stage, and polls generally show national opposition to such a policy.
Abortion has taken center stage in the nascent 2024 contest this week. On Tuesday, contender Nikki Haley outlined her stance on the issue in a roughly 20-minute speech, calling for protections for the unborn at the national level without specifying gestational restrictions. She also emphasized the need to find “consensus” and take note of the public opposition to heavy restrictions.
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Later Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a fiery speech defending abortion rights and warning Republicans not to “get in our way.”
Ramaswamy is currently running in sixth place in a hypothetical 2024 GOP field, per the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.
