After months of dodging the question directly, former President Donald Trump has finally shared his thoughts on a national ban on abortion — and many pro-life advocates were disappointed with his response.
“Many people have asked me what my position is on abortion and abortion rights,” Trump said in a video posted on his Truth Social site. “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.”
“Many states will be different,” Trump continued. “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, it’s all about will of the people.”
Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president and a staunch pro-life supporter, called Trump’s stance “a slap in the face to the millions of pro-life Americans” who have previously supported him.
President Trump’s retreat on the Right to Life is a slap in the face to the millions of pro-life Americans who voted for him in 2016 and 2020. By nominating and standing by the confirmation of conservative justices, the Trump-Pence Administration helped send Roe v. Wade to the…
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) April 8, 2024
In the video, Trump reiterated he personally opposes abortion with three exeptions — in cases of rape, incest and when the life of the mother is at risk. He then described the current legal landscape, discussing how different states have varying restrictions post-Roe.
Many states have, in fact, had widely varying responses to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. At the time of this writing, 21 states have enacted near or total abortion bans. Arizona is the latest state to enact a law that bans abortions of all kinds, with the only exception being if the mother’s life is in danger. On the flip side, states like California, Minnesota and Kansas have enacted laws that expand abortion access.
Noticeably, in the video Trump did not endorse a national limit on abortion, an idea his campaign floated earlier this year and many conservatives support. However, some Republican leaders warned Trump that abortion rights would be at the forefront of the 2024 election, which could impact their chances of taking back the White House and the Senate majority. It appears that Trump took their warnings seriously by not choosing to endorse a national ban.
The former president has long argued that the Supreme Court’s decision gave pro-life advocates “tremendous power to negotiate” policies that he hoped would “make both sides happy” and bring the country together. However, abortion remains one of the most polarizing issues in American politics, and pro-life advocates were hoping for more help from Trump.
Marjorie Dannenfelser — president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, one of the largest pro-life groups in the nation — said she was disappointed to hear that Trump was no longer pushing for a national limit on abortion.
“We are deeply disappointed in President Trump’s position,” said Dannenfelser. “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.”
