Mitch McConnell Says Nationwide Abortion Ban Is “Possible”

“I don’t think it’s much of a secret where Senate Republicans stand on that issue,” McConnell told USA Today.

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to members of the press at the U.S. Capitol on May 10, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Credit: Getty Images
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to members of the press at the U.S. Capitol on May 10, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Credit: Getty Images

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that the prospect of Republicans imposing a national abortion ban is “possible” if Roe v. Wade gets overturned this summer.

“If the leaked opinion became the final opinion, legislative bodies — not only at the state level but at the federal level — certainly could legislate in that area,” he ​told USA Today​. “I don’t think it’s much of a secret where Senate Republicans stand on that issue.”

As of now, the absolute earliest the GOP could plausibly pursue a nationwide ban on abortion would be in approximately 3 years. Republicans are currently the minority party in both chambers of Congress, but most polls indicate they have a very strong chance of retaking both the House and Senate in the 2022 midterm elections this November.

If a Republican nominee were to win the 2024 presidential election they would need 60 votes to pass a federal abortion ban — unless McConnell and his colleagues are willing to abolish the filibuster. In that scenario, doing so would allow them to pass legislation of this kind on a 50-vote threshold.

Despite McConnell’s remarks, according to a CBS News Poll nearly two-thirds of Americans want Roe v. Wade to remain in place and 70% of Americans say they do not want a nationwide ban on abortion.