Chris Christie Says He Would Not Sign a Six-Week Abortion Ban

• Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on Tuesday that he would not sign a six-week abortion ban into law if he were elected president in 2024. The Hill
• In an interview on “CNN This Morning,” the Republican presidential candidate said there is “no consensus” in his party regarding such a ban, and further stated that decisions on abortion should be made by officials at state level. Huffington Post (LR: 1 CP: 4)
• In reference to last year’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Christie said that Republicans had fought for 50 years to overturn the 1973 ruling that established a federal right to abortion. “Now people have a voice” and the federal government should not interfere, he added. Yahoo News
• Christie's comments came after his Republican rival Nikki Haley said she would sign a six-week abortion ban if she were still governor of South Carolina. He hinted that Haley’s answer may have been pandering to Iowa evangelical Christians, whom she was addressing at the time. CNN
• He continued to slam Haley, saying: “You can’t say one thing in Iowa and something different in New Hampshire.” Haley has wavered on the issue, saying that she would support a 15-week federal abortion ban while noting that such a restriction would be highly unlikely to pass through the Senate. CNN
• Since the Dobbs decision overturned federal abortion protections, Republican states have triggered various laws, typically restricting termination from 15 weeks gestation. While most Republicans support such measures, they have been unpopular among the general electorate. Daily Caller (LR: 5 CP: 4)

Left narrative:

• Chris Christie is trying to be a voice of reason within the far–right GOP, but it's clear that the party is disinterested in electing sensible moderates. Republican Party politics is characterized by misogyny and bigotry, and the GOP base has only been more emboldened since the right-leaning Supreme Court struck down federal abortion rights. Let’s not forget that Donald Trump campaigned on nominating anti-choice justices and won over conservatives with his radical message. Christie may be prudent by trying to take a more moderate stance, but he won't see success in the GOP primaries.
  Huffington Post (LR: 1 CP: 4)

Right narrative:

• Everyone knows that Chris Christie is not a serious presidential candidate, but rather an overfed loudmouth vying for a position on CNN or MSNBC as the token “Republican.” He has continued to show that he's out of touch with GOP voters, slamming laws that protect the unborn and stating he would not sign a law to protect children still in the womb. Christie is not a conservative, he is pandering to a liberal audience.
  Dcdailyjournal

Nerd narrative:

• There' s a 5% chance that elective abortion will be banned nationally in the United States before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
  Metaculus (LR: 3 CP: 3)