Ron DeSantis says he isn’t pushing for a national 6-week abortion ban; New York wouldn’t go for it

Ron DeSantis continues to explain why a harsh abortion law that he thinks is good enough for Florida women might not fly nationwide.

During a Fox News Channel interview, the Governor said that a national version of the Heartbeat Protection Act, which bans abortion under most circumstances after six weeks of gestation, might not fly in a “big, diverse country.”

“I think that in states where you’ve had the ability to make improvements and to add pro-life protections, I applaud states that have done that, but we have a big, diverse country. I acknowledge that and I’m not suggesting that somehow New York is necessarily going to follow Iowa’s lead on that. I think you’re going to see differences,” DeSantis said on “Fox & Friends.”

It’s worth noting the rhetorical sop to New York likely won’t win him the Primary there. His last two poll performances in the state have been in the 10% range, 50 points behind Donald Trump.

The Governor continues to throw up caution flags for those on the hard right who think bringing the Florida Blueprint nationally would include the reproductive rights prohibition he signed in the dead of night during a closed Session in the Governor’s Office in between political trips out of state.

During a Sunday interview on the Fox News Channel’s “Mediabuzz,” the Governor blamed Congress preemptively for not being able to get the law passed.

“Look, the Congress is probably not the place you want to put your hopes and dreams if you’re supporting pro-life. And so I think we’re going to really have a strong bottom-up approach. We’re going to be working with states and localities to be able to advance the cause of life.”

The Governor dealt with a similar question from Fox News alum Tucker Carlson Friday, dancing around the idea that a national ban is possible.

“I don’t think Rome is built in a day. I think it’s going to take time to make progress in some parts of the country. But as President, I will be somebody who will use the bully pulpit to support Governors like Kim Reynolds when she’s got a bill, other states, as they advance the cause of life,” DeSantis said.

During a May appearance on “Fox News Tonight,” DeSantis said that after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, “there’s a role for both the federal (government) and states” to play going forward, but that “fighting for life and protecting life really is a bottom-up movement.”

“I think that there’s just a practical reality that the country is divided on the issue. And so the question is, you know, how are you going to be able to save, you know, more lives? Some of this is a matter of strategy, some of it is a matter of, you know, what could you do to be able to advance the ball forward?” he added. “Clearly in California, you know, you are going to have very, very hostile views.”