Former President Donald Trump declared on Monday that he supports states being able to decide how to handle abortion policy following a Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Now the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, after his major rivals dropped out and he secured enough delegates to clinch the nomination, Trump announced his position on the contentious issue in a video posted to his Truth Social platform.
“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, 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,” Trump said.
WATCH: Trump releases new statement on abortion policy, saying abortion restrictions should be left to states. Do you agree? pic.twitter.com/hCv13xgt1h
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 8, 2024
Trump said he “proudly” takes responsibility for the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe, which happened in June 2022 with a conservative majority he helped put together. He acknowledged that states will have varying degrees of limits on the procedure.
The former president also noted that he is “strongly in favor of” exceptions for rape, incest, and saving the life of the mother.
“At the end of the day, this is about the will of the people,” Trump said, adding later, “You must follow your heart on this issue, but remember: you must also win elections to restore our culture and, in fact, to save our country.”
Pro-life advocates immediately began to express their displeasure with Trump’s stance on abortion, which he unveiled after floating a national ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy weeks ago.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, released a statement that said her group is “deeply disappointed in President Trump’s position.” She continued, “Saying the issue is ‘back to the states’ cedes the national debate to the Democrats.”
Polls have shown, time and again, that most Americans want abortion to be legal after the 2022 ruling in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that returned the issue to the states after several decades, though many are open to restrictions such as a ban after 16 weeks.
Anti-abortion measures that have been placed on the ballot over the past two years in states including Kentucky, Kansas, and Ohio have not fared well. And a bill introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a Trump ally, to implement a national ban on abortions after 15 weeks has gone nowhere.
Trump released his position on abortion as Democrats reportedly geared up to make it a top issue in the 2024 election. President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign recently argued that another abortion measure, this one poised to appear on the ballot in Florida, will help boost their cause.
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“Protecting abortion rights is mobilizing a diverse and growing segment of voters to help buoy Democrats up and down the ballot,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote in a memo reported by ABC News.
In his video, Trump also reiterated his support for preserving access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and praised Alabama for passing into law a GOP-proposed bill to protect the treatments.
“We want to make it easier for mothers and families to have babies, not harder,” he said. “That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every state in America.”
