GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley says he will vote against a proposed 15-week abortion ban at the federal level, arguing the issue should be taken up by state legislatures as a recent Supreme Court decision mandates.

Grassley made the surprising admission during a Friday debate with retired Navy admiral Mike Franken, who is challenging Grassley for his seat representing Iowa in the U.S. Senate.

“We’ve been waiting for a long period of time to get [abortion regulation] back to the states,” Grassley said during the debate, “and that’s where it should be, and that’s where I want it to be.”