Highlights:
VIDEO: Ramaswamy Said He Was Open To Being Convinced Of A Federal Abortion Ban. According to Ramaswamy’s appearance at YAFCON NCSC 2023 via YouTube, “RAMASWAMY: So I remain open-minded to any constitutional scholar convincing me of the legal basis for the federal government, which I believe has no authority to codify Roe vs. Wade into law, to codify a federal abortion ban into law either. I remain open-minded.” [Ramaswamy speech via YouTube, 7/27/23]
Ramaswamy’s Spokesperson Said He Was Open To An Argument For A Federal Ban On Abortion. According to the Daily Caller, “Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is open to the federal government playing a role in abortion, but has yet to commit to a ban such as a 15-week ceiling, spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the DCNF. ‘He is talking to constitutional scholars and is open to an argument for a federal ban that has a constitutional basis,’ said McLaughlin. ‘He has not seen that yet. He is not open to a commerce clause case. He has serious concerns about the left holding office and using federal law to create state minimums for abortion.’” [Daily Caller, 6/14/23]
Ramaswamy Said He Was Talking To Scholars About The Basis For A Federal Ban On Abortion. According to the Daily Caller, “Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is open to the federal government playing a role in abortion, but has yet to commit to a ban such as a 15-week ceiling, spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the DCNF. ‘He is talking to constitutional scholars and is open to an argument for a federal ban that has a constitutional basis,’ said McLaughlin. ‘He has not seen that yet. He is not open to a commerce clause case. He has serious concerns about the left holding office and using federal law to create state minimums for abortion.’” [Daily Caller, 6/14/23]
Ramaswamy Said He Supported A Six-Week Abortion Ban At The State Level. According to the Washington Examiner, “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. ‘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.” [Washington Examiner, 4/26/23]
VIDEO: Ramaswamy Called Florida’s Six-Week Abortion Ban “Reasonable.” According to a tweet from the Democratic National Committee, “HOST: So just to be clear, you’re of the same position that Ron DeSantis is, then, based on the bill he signed last in Florida, six weeks? RAMASWANY: I think that that’s a reasonable bill for him to have signed. Absolutely.” [Twitter - @DNCWarRoom, 4/26/23]
Ramaswamy Said He Was “Upset” That Voters In His Home State Of Ohio Approved A Constitutional Amendment Recognizing The Right To An Abortion. According to a transcript from Rev of the third Republican primary debate, “[Ramaswamy] It was my home state of Ohio, I’m upset about this, yesterday that passed a constitutional amendment that now effectively codifies a right to abortion all the way up to the time of birth without parental consent.” [Rev, 11/8/23]
Ramaswamy: “I Am An Opponent Of Roe v. Wade.” According to a transcript of Ramaswamy’s interview with NPR, “[RAMASWAMY] I would not, but I am pro-life. For years, I was an opponent of Roe v. Wade. I think it was constitutionally wrongly decided. I think Dobbs was correct to overturn it because the federal government has no business here. Murder laws are governed by the states. So if abortion is a form of murder, which is the pro-life position, and I am pro-life, then it would make no sense for that to be the one law that was still governed at the federal level. But a federal ban violates the constitutional principle that led us to actually overturn Roe v. Wade, which is why I would not sign a federal abortion ban.” [NPR, 8/23/23]
Ramaswamy Said The Supreme Court Was “Correct” To Overturn Roe v. Wade. According to a transcript of Ramaswamy’s interview with NPR, “[RAMASWAMY] I would not, but I am pro-life. For years, I was an opponent of Roe v. Wade. I think it was constitutionally wrongly decided. I think Dobbs was correct to overturn it because the federal government has no business here. Murder laws are governed by the states. So if abortion is a form of murder, which is the pro-life position, and I am pro-life, then it would make no sense for that to be the one law that was still governed at the federal level. But a federal ban violates the constitutional principle that led us to actually overturn Roe v. Wade, which is why I would not sign a federal abortion ban.” [NPR, 8/23/23]
Ramaswamy Said That The Supreme Court Should Overturn The FDA’s Approval Of Mifepristone. According to The Hill, “Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said that he believes the Supreme Court should overturn the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Ramaswamy said at a CNN town hall in Iowa on Wednesday that the case, which the court agreed earlier on Wednesday to hear, is about the authority that regulatory agencies have without direct authorization from Congress. He argued that the FDA exceeded its authority in approving the pill in 2000. ‘It’s my opinion… that the FDA exceeded its statutory authority in using an emergency approval to approve something that doesn’t fit Congress’s criteria for what actually counts as an emergency approval,’ Ramaswamy said.” [The Hill, 12/13/23]
Ramaswamy: “I Think Abortion Is Murder.” According to the Des Moines Register, “Ramaswamy, a 37-year-old entrepreneur and author, said in an interview with the Register that he believed the issue should be left to the states. ‘Murder, I think abortion is murder,’ he said. ‘Murder is regulated at the state level. I think we've got to keep it there. I think there's danger where once you federalize the issue, the same shoe can fit the other foot, politically speaking, and that could put us right back in the same quagmire at the federal level.’” [Des Moines Register, 4/23/23]
Ramaswamy Said “I Do Think That Abortion Is A Form Of Murder.” According to Fox News, “On the controversial issue of abortion, Ramaswamy said he is ‘unapologetically pro-life’ and considers abortion as a form of murder. However, he explained that abortion should be treated similarly to murder and left up to the states to decide limitations. ‘I do think that abortion is a form of murder. But if you think that murder isn't regulated by the federal government. Murder is done by state statutes. That's how the Constitution works. And so for those reasons, I view abortion as a form of murder because I believe in the Constitution.’ Furthermore, he said he believes states should adopt a ‘pro-life stance.’” [Fox News, 4/26/23]
Ramaswamy Said He Was “Unapologetically Pro-Life.” According to a tweet from Ramaswamy’s personal Twitter account, “I’m unapologetically pro-life. It’s not a woman’s rights issue, it’s a human rights issue.” [Twitter - @VivekGRamaswamy, 4/13/23]
Ramaswamy Said That He Was “Unapologetically Pro-Life.” According to Fox News, “However, Ramaswamy also said that when it comes to the contentious issue of abortion, he has ‘been very clear’ that he’s ‘unapologetically pro-life.’ ‘I do believe that unborn life is life. And I don’t believe that the right path forward for us is to compromise on our principles. I think the right path forward is for us to be uncompromising about the principles that we believe in while also finding ways to address the concerns that we can address without compromising,’ he elaborated. Ramaswamy added that ‘I am pro-life, and I believe in walking the walk when it comes to being pro-life as well.’” [Fox News, 7/12/23]
Ramaswamy Called For Ending Federal Funding For Planned Parenthood. According to NBC News, “Ramaswamy has described himself as ‘pro-life’ and wants to expand post-birth policies that support mothers and fathers, and end federal funding to Planned Parenthood. ‘Let’s walk the walk with respect to being pro-life as the U.S. president,’ he told NBC News in September. ‘I do support ending federal funding for Planned Parenthood on a number of grounds … The federal government should not be spending money on funding its favorite pet causes.’” [NBC News, 10/5/23]