Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) signaled his support for pro-life policies as speculation mounts he will make a run for the 2024 White House.
While meeting with GOP officials and pastors a day after announcing his exploratory committee for a 2024 presidential campaign, Scott said that he supports a 20-week abortion ban, sharing a story about a friend who was prematurely born.
"There's no doubt that I think the question asked earlier about the 20-week limit makes total sense to me," Scott told reporters. "I had a friend of mine in high school; her name was Jackie. She was born at 22 1/2 weeks in 1965. So we should certainly always side with a culture that preserves and appreciates and respects life."
Scott was asked about his stance on the recent court ruling in Texas to suspend the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of mifepristone, a two-pill regime for abortion.
However, he declined to answer the question, only saying the decision was up to the courts.
"I would simply say that the courts are on their way to solving the problem of these latest rulings as contradictory rulings from different judges. And we are starting to see that play out," Scott said. "We're allowing the states to make decisions. But can we not be in that category with China and North Korea as relates to abortion?"
Last year, Scott pushed back on Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's argument that abortions would benefit single Black mothers, calling it "callous" and "inhumane."
Yellen said eliminating abortion rights would affect the U.S. economy, adding that no access to abortions would deprive low-income and Black people of the ability to complete their education and join the workforce.
"To me, this was stunning. I thought I had misheard her. Was Yellen making a case for how abortion is good for America's labor force? But when questioned, Yellen doubled down on what I believe is a callous, inhumane reason for ending innocent life," Scott wrote in an op-ed.
Scott called Yellen's comments "cold" and "robotic," vowing to protect life at all costs.