Republican heavyweight, Chuck Grassley, has vowed to say no to a 15 week abortion ban

Republican heavyweight and the longest-tenured GOP Senator, Chuck Grassley, has pledged to vote against a national abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Grassley joins a growing chorus of conservative lawmakers opposed to the idea. An Iowa senator since 1980, he is seeking an eighth term during November’s midterms.

But the race is tightening, with Grassley facing off against Democrat Mike Franken. A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll from July found the incumbent senator leading Franken by 8 percentage points, 47 per cent to 39 per cent.

While Grassley leads, it’s his narrowest margin recorded by an Iowa Poll since he was first elected.

This may have promoted his decision to back away from a strict abortion ban, during  a televised debate with his Democratic challenger.

Grassley says he’s “never favoured abortion” but does favour “the exception for rape, incest and the life of the mother.”

But the remarks are by no means an indication he’s walking away his anti-abortion stance entirely.

Last year, he was one of 43 GOP lawmakers who sponsored a federal ban on aborting pregnancies beyond 20 weeks.

In September, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a bill aimed at banning an abortions after 15 weeks with few exceptions.

But Republicans are likely to have met this bill with a cold reception because recent data shows just how many voters disapprove of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

One poll found up to 60 per cent of voters support abortion rights in most cases.

Since the Supreme Court’s controversial abortion ruling in June, 26 states have prohibited or severely limited the termination of pregnancies.