WASHINGTON — Republican leaders have begun distancing themselves from new, far-reaching state abortion restrictions that don’t allow exceptions in the cases of rape or incest.

“I believe in exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother, and that’s what I’ve voted on,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Thursday, becoming the highest-ranking GOP official to object to the latest wave of sweeping anti-abortion laws from conservative states.

Alabama this week approved a law to ban abortion at any stage of pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. That came on the heels of laws in other states — including Ohio, Kentucky and Mississippi — that ban the procedure when a fetal heartbeat is detected, at about six weeks of pregnancy, also with no exceptions for rape or incest. All of the legislation includes exceptions for abortions to preserve a woman’s life.

Republican lawmakers in Alabama and elsewhere have said their goal is to give the Supreme Court’s conservative majority an opportunity to reverse the 1973 Roe versus Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide.

The bans have activated the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates and other prominent Democrats in opposition. But some Republicans in Washington also say they oppose new abortion restrictions that don’t allow for the rape and incest exceptions.

Even Alabama’s GOP senator said he supports the three traditional exceptions.

Sen. Richard C. Shelby said he “always supported” exceptions for rape and incest.

“I’m not down there,” he said of his home state’s most recent law.

The latest anti-abortion legislation represents a new front in the abortion debate. Nationally, Republicans have supported exceptions for all three circumstances for many years.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is up for re-election this year, also said he opposed sweeping bans. “Of course there needs to be” exceptions, he said.

Several Republican senators, however, refused to weigh in on the issue.

“I don’t really have a response,” said Sen. Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who is also up for re-election next year.

“States don’t need to hear from me on what they’re going to do,” said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo.

And some Republicans embraced the bills.

“If you think it is a human life, therefore a child of God, it really shouldn’t matter how it was conceived,” said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. “I can just tell you there are millions of people out there who believe that.”