Trump rejects call for federal abortion ban
Former Republican president says controversial issue should be legislated on a state-by-state basis
DONALD TRUMP has rejected calls for a nationwide abortion ban, as he warned that extreme views on the issue could make it harder for Republicans to win votes.
The former president said individual states should be allowed to decide their own policies on terminations, but that there should be exceptions for women who have been raped or in instances of incest. Mr Trump has often avoided the question of abortion, considering it a toxic issue among potential Republican voters – many of whom are not aligned with the party’s sceptical position on the matter.
In a video on Truth Social yesterday, he said he would not accede to some Republican demands for a federal ban on abortion, but defended his opposition to the Roe v Wade Supreme Court ruling, which was overturned in 2022.
“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint,” he said. “The states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land, in this case, the law of the state.
“Many states will be different. Many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than others and that’s what they will be.
“At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people.”
Mr Trump said that “like Ronald Reagan”, he was “strongly in favour of exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother”.
However, he also warned that Republicans must “win elections” in order to enact their policies, suggesting that hardline views could turn off moderate voters in this year’s presidential election. “You must follow your heart on this issue,” he said. “But remember, you must also win elections to restore our culture and in fact, to save our country, which is currently and very sadly, a nation in decline.”
Mr Trump’s intervention comes after Joe Biden promised to restore the Roe v Wade ruling with legislation if he wins a second term, using a congressional majority he hopes to win in November.
In his State of the Union address last month, Mr Biden mentioned Kate Cox, a woman who fled Texas to have an abortion because of the state’s restrictions on the practice.
“My predecessor took office determined to see Roe v Wade overturned and he brags about it,” he said. “Look at the chaos that has resulted.”
Republicans have struggled to find a consistent position on the issue, with hard-right figures pushed to support a nationwide ban on abortion that would require support in both houses of Congress.
Last month, a poll by KFF Health found that two-thirds of the public, including majorities of Democrats and independents, support federal protections for abortion, while six in ten Republicans oppose them.
Mr Trump’s policy to leave abortion to individual states means he will not be required to promise restrictions or guarantees at a federal level.
His comments were met with condemnation from pro-life Republicans.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America, said: “We are deeply disappointed in president Trump’s position. Saying the issue is ‘back to the states’ cedes the national debate to the Democrats who are working relentlessly to enact legislation mandating abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy.” On Roe v Wade, Mr Trump said he was “probably the person responsible for the ending of something that all legal scholars both sides wanted and, in fact, demanded be ended” in 2022.
While in office, he appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court, all of whom voted for the 6-3 majority ruling to overturn the ruling.
Abortion is currently banned with limited exceptions in 14 states, including Texas, while a further 28 states have restrictions depending on gestational age. The limits range from six weeks to more than 24 weeks.
Last week, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that a planned six-week abortion ban can go ahead on May 1, denying an appeal that claimed the legislation would be unconstitutional.
In his video, Mr Trump criticised “radical” Democrats who he claimed “support abortion up to and even beyond the ninth month”.
The baby is born, the baby is executed after birth. [It is] unacceptable, and almost everyone agrees with that,” he said.
Mr Biden responded by describing Mr Trump as “more than anyone in America the person responsible for ending Roe v Wade”.
“Trump once said women must be punished for seeking reproductive health care – and he’s gotten his wish,” he said.
“Women are being turned away from emergency rooms, forced to go to court to seek permission for the medical attention they need, and left to travel hundreds of miles for health care.”
His campaign released an advert highlighting the case of a woman in Texas who was denied an abortion after she suffered a miscarriage at 18 weeks pregnant.
‘You must follow your heart on this issue. But remember, you must also win elections’ ‘Saying that the issue is “back to the states” just cedes the national debate to the Democrats’