Burgum says he wouldn’t sign federal abortion ban if elected president

GOP presidential candidate and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) said Sunday that he would not sign a federal abortion ban if he was elected to the White House.

“Well, my position is that I support the Dobbs decision, and this is the decision that should be left to the states,” Burgum told NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press.” “And what’s going to pass in North Dakota is not ever going to pass in California and New York, and wouldn’t even pass in the state of Minnesota. I — that’s why I’m on the record saying that I would not sign a federal abortion ban.”

Other GOP presidential hopefuls have avoided weighing in on whether they would sign a federal abortion ban. Former President Trump has remained evasive on whether he would support a federal ban, and even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who signed a six-week ban in his state, has avoided answering whether he would support it on a national scale.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and former Vice President Mike Pence have both publicly backed a federal ban on abortion, with Pence urging other candidates to support a proposed ban. Burgum reiterated Sunday that the issue should remain the state’s choice, saying that the president should be focused on larger scale issues.

“No, I wouldn’t, because it should be left to the states,” he said when asked if he would support any federal ban. “Now, I think people can say Republicans are extreme, I personally think that having a late term abortion, having an abortion one day before a child is born, that’s abhorrent to me. Some states allow that. I think that’s extreme. But states get to decide where they want to fit on that spectrum.”