Where Presidential Hopeful Chris Christie Stands On A Woman's Right To Choose

As the presidential race begins to heat up with more potential candidates throwing their hats into the ring, one of the most prominent subjects of debate is that of abortion rights. Former President and current Republican frontrunner Donald Trump recently took credit for last year's overturning of Roe v. Wade, saying that it was the justices he placed in the Supreme Court who tipped the scales in favor of overturning the decades-old case that had guaranteed nationally-protected rights to abortion access (via The Hill). 

In the wake of the of the removal of a federally-protected right to choose, several states have enacted abortion bans that drastically limit when, where, why, and how a pregnant person can access abortion care. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who last week announced his candidacy for President, recently signed one of the country's most restrictive abortion bans, which would prevent women in Florida from getting an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, a point at which most women don't even know they're pregnant. Further, DeSantis has received endorsements from people like Congressman Bob Good, who himself supports a complete federal abortion ban (via Politico).

So do all current Republican hopefuls support abortion bans? 

While former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has not yet formally announced that he will be running in the 2024 presidential race, he has stated that he will make a decision as to whether to enter the race in the "next couple of weeks" (via Semafor.com). During a live interview with Steve Clemons on Tuesday, Christie was asked where he stands on the debate about abortion. 

While the potential candidate did say that he generally opposes abortion, he made it clear that he supports exceptions in the cases of incest, rape, and danger to the life of the mother. Further, he stated that he is not in favor of a nationwide abortion ban. Christie said on the subject, "I would not be for the federal government being involved in the issue of abortion in any way. I believe the states should make the decisions."

In Tuesdays interview, Christie also weighed in on the two candidates who would likely be his biggest competition: Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. "If I get into the race," he said, "I'll make it interesting" (via Semafor). 

When asked about Ron DeSantis, Christie stated that he doesn't feel DeSantis is actually behaving like a conservative where it comes to business. Specifically citing the Florida Governor's public and longstanding feud with Disney, Christie stated, "I don't think we should be heavily regulating business. I don't think we should be telling business what to do, what to say, how to think." Christie went on to say that he feels the Disney debacle "rightfully makes a lot of people question [DeSantis'] judgment and his maturity."

When asked about Donald Trump, Christie said something very few republicans have dared to say out loud. "The election wasn't stolen. He lost," Christie said plainly. "I understand why he has a hard time coming to terms with losing to Joe Biden." He then went on to accuse Trump of having "undercut the system ... with lies." 

It's clear that if Christie does decide to run, he will indeed, as he promises, "make it interesting."