During the most recent GOP primary debate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially confirmed that he would support a 15-week abortion ban as president.
Mr. DeSantis answered in the affirmative when asked if he would back such a ban.
However, DeSantis’ reaction to Scott on Wednesday was a first in that it addressed a 15-week suspension in such a forthright manner.
Since entering the presidential race, DeSantis has refrained from making this vow, which has occasionally earned him harsh criticism from a leading anti-abortion group.
Instead, DeSantis has focused his campaign on Florida’s six-week abortion ban, which he passed earlier this year, while implying that other states may adopt various strategies depending on their political climates.
DeSantis, meanwhile, has made abortion the center of his efforts to strike a breach between former President Donald Trump and the conservative base, particularly in Iowa, as his window to gain ground in the GOP presidential primary battle is rapidly narrowing.
In socially conservative states like Iowa, where he is putting forth his strongest effort to unseat Mr. Trump as the front-runner in the race, Mr. DeSantis is using abortion to criticize the former president Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Trump has avoided queries about whether he would support a 15-week ban, the default position of many anti-abortion activists in the Republican Party, despite having appointed the Supreme Court justices who were crucial in overturning Roe v. Wade.
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