NEW YORK (AP) — After months of mixed messages and speculation, former President Donald Trump said abortion should be left to the states in a video released Monday explaining his position. He said he thought so.
“A lot of people have asked me where I stand on abortion and abortion rights,” President Trump said in a video posted to his site Truth Social, adding, “From a legal standpoint, it's not something that anyone wants. “My view is that abortions are being done there. The state will do that.” Determined by vote, law, or both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land, in this case the law of the state. ”
He did not say when he thought abortion should be banned. He went on to explain the current legal landscape, with different restrictions in place in each state following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade.
“A lot of states are going to be different. A lot of people are going to have different numbers of weeks, some are going to be more conservative than others, and that's how it is going to be,” he said, adding, “At the end of the day, it all comes down to It's the will of the people,” he said.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, posted on his social media site Sunday night, “Abortion and Abortion Rights,” after dodging a question about where he thinks the line should be drawn during pregnancy. He wrote that he plans to issue a statement regarding the issue.
The 2022 reversal of Roe v. Wade ushered in a wave of new regulations in Republican-led states. Democrats believe the fight over abortion rights will help them vote, and they have outperformed expectations in subsequent elections.
In his message, President Trump said, “You must follow your heart on this issue. But remember, we need to help restore our nation's culture, which is, in fact, currently and very sadly in decline. We must win the election in order to save our country, which is undergoing a crisis.”
President Trump has long argued that the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe gave opponents of abortion rights “tremendous power to negotiate.” He called the issue one of the most contentious in American politics, calling it one of the most contentious issues in American politics and using his power to “make both sides happy,” even though opponents view abortion as murder. He said he wanted to strike a deal that would “unite” the country. And his supporters see it as a fundamental right for women.
President Trump suggested in a radio interview last month that he was leaning toward supporting a nationwide abortion ban around the 15th week of pregnancy, or the beginning of the second trimester.
“As far as the number of weeks, the consensus right now is 15 weeks, and I'm thinking with that in mind,” he said on WABC radio. “And it's a very reasonable number. It will happen,” he said. But people actually agree, even the hardliners, and 15 weeks is a number that people seem to agree on. ”
At the same time, President Trump seemed reluctant to accept a federal ban.
“Everyone agrees – we've heard this for years – all legal scholars on both sides agree, this is a national issue. It shouldn't be a federal issue, it should be a state issue. ” he said.
Trump has tried to put the needle on abortion throughout the campaign. He has called Roe v. Wade a “moral and constitutional atrocity,” has regularly taken credit for appointing the Supreme Court justice who overturned it, and has called himself “the most pro-life president in American history.” It is called.
But he also repeatedly criticized his fellow Republicans for being too hard-line on the issue, saying he was among the first 11 candidates in the same year to deny exceptions in cases of rape, incest or where the life of a pregnant person is at risk. He accused the party of defeating the party in May.
“Many pro-life politicians lose elections because they don’t know how to discuss this topic. We lose many elections because of this, because they don’t know how to discuss this topic. They had no idea,” he said at the Concerned Women of America 2023 Leadership Summit.
Meanwhile, Democrats and President Joe Biden's campaign have focused on the issue as they seek to draw a contrast with President Trump.
Polls consistently show that most Americans believe abortion should be legal until the early stages of pregnancy. According to a poll conducted last June by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about half of American adults say abortions should be allowed at 15 weeks.
The majority of abortions from 2012 to 2021 were performed within 13 weeks of pregnancy, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision established a constitutional right to abortion up to the viable period of pregnancy, around 23 or 24 weeks.
According to health policy research firm KFF, abortions in the third trimester are rare and occur when there is a serious fetal abnormality, the mother's life is at risk, or the woman significantly delays seeking an abortion. It is often done when
___ Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
