Haley spars with Republican rivals at 3rd primary debate as Trump still looms

After the debate, the South Carolina senator was seen taking a photo with a blonde-haired woman. The two were physically affectionate, including with their hands interlocked -- and Scott, later asked by a reporter who it was, said, "Oh, my girlfriend."

Scott had said in September that he was dating someone -- "a smart, Christian woman" -- while declining to bring her on the trail, saying that he would introduce her "at some point."

"I have been very protective of my family and my loved ones," he told The Washington Post in September. "I signed up for this. If we make it, she will be signing up for it as well, but at least then she'll know what she's getting into."

-ABC News' Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Libby Cathey and Fritz Farrow

Ramaswamy, amid a abortion debate, again brought up his idea about "sexual responsibility for men."

"We talked about access to contraception, adoption. Here's the missing ingredient in this movement: sexual responsibility for men," he said. "We live in an era of reliable genetic paternity tests that are 100% reliable, so we can say men deserve more responsibility, so we can tell women, 'We're all in this together.'"

Ramaswamy has discussed this on the trail before but it's not entirely clear what he means or how it would be carried out. He's said it should be codified into law that men have greater responsibility, financially or otherwise, when they are confirmed via paternity test to be a father.

"It's not men's rights versus women's rights," Ramaswamy said on stage. "It's about human rights."

-ABC News' Alexandra Hutzler

Near the end of the night, the candidates were asked to address the path forward for Republicans on abortion restrictions in light of Democrats' successes Tuesday night, which included Ohio voters adding abortion rights to their state constitution.

"I understand that some of these states are doing it a little bit different. Texas is not going to do it the same as New Hampshire. Iowa is not necessarily going to do it the same as Virginia. So you've got to work from the bottom up," DeSantis said.

Haley said they need to find "consensus" and "don't need to divide America over this issue anymore."

"Let's agree on how we can ban late-term abortions. Let's make sure we encourage adoptions. Let's make sure we make contraception accessible. Let's make sure none of these state laws put a woman in jail or give her the death penalty for getting an abortion," she said.

Scott reiterated his call for a "15-week federal limit" and promoted adoption.

Asked whether she would support such a ban, Haley said she would "support anything that would pass," but said the Senate doesn't have the votes.

Ramaswamy did not say whether he would support a 15-week ban when asked. In addition to access to contraception and adoption, he said the "missing ingredient" is "sexual responsibility for men."

Christie said the issue should be left up to the states but said the "bigger issue" was supporting people through challenges post-birth, such as tackling drug addiction.

"Pro-life is not just in the womb," he said. "It's for the whole life."

“Three out of four Americans agree with a 15-week limit,” Scott said.

Survey data varies on this question. A June 2023 poll sponsored by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an anti-abortion group, and conducted by the Tarrance Group, found that 77% of respondents said abortions should be prohibited at conception, after six weeks or after 15 weeks.

But this poll was sponsored by a group with a position on the issue, and both questions told respondents that fetuses can feel pain at 15 weeks -- an assertion that is not the universal consensus among medical experts.

Independent polls found a range of results on the question of an abortion ban after 15 weeks. A July 2022 survey from Harvard University’s Center for American Political Studies and the Harris Poll found that 23% of respondents said their state should ban abortion after 15 weeks, 12% said it should be banned at six weeks and 37% said it should be allowed only in cases of rape and incest. Collectively, that’s 72% who supported a ban at 15 weeks or less.

In two subsequent polls, the support for abortion at 15 weeks or less was not as strong. A September 2022 Economist/YouGov poll found that 39% of respondents supported a ban on abortions after 15 weeks, and 46% opposed it. And a June 2023 Associated Press-NORC poll found that for abortion up to 15 weeks, 51% of respondents said they would allow it, while 45% said they would ban it.

-Analysis by Aaron Sharockman of PolitiFact