Former President Donald Trump officially announced his position on abortion on Monday, ending months-long speculation about how he would handle the issue should he be elected in November.
In a video posted to Truth Social, Trump said the issue of abortion is about “the will of the people” and should be left up to states to decide. The 45th president touted his role in nominating the Supreme Court justices who ultimately overturned Roe v. Wade in their Dobbs decision — ending 50 years of an invented constitutional right to abortion and sending the issue back to individual states and their elected representatives.
“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,” Trump said.
“This is all about the will of the people. You must follow your heart or in many cases, your religion or your faith. Do what’s right for your family, and do what’s right for yourself,” he continued. “Do what’s right for your children. Do what’s right for our country, and vote–so important to vote. At the end of the day, it’s all about the will of the people.”
Trump also noted that while the issue of abortion is often a deep moral choice for many voters one way or another, Republicans must “also win elections to restore the culture.” Democrats, as well as President Joe Biden’s campaign, have been heavily banking on driving voter turnout around the topic of abortion, using the issue to paint Republicans as “extreme” and a threat to women.
US President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign rally to Restore Roe at Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, Virginia, on January 23, 2024 (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images).
“You must follow your heart of this issue, 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,” he said. “Our nation needs help. It needs unity. It needs us all to work closely together.”
Trump also spoke in favor of abortion laws that contain exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother:
🚨 Trump releases statement on abortion
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) April 8, 2024
pic.twitter.com/4k3geepeiz
Trump notably opened the video speaking strongly in favor of in vitro fertilization (IVF), in which “mature eggs are collected from ovaries and fertilized by sperm in a lab, [and] then a procedure is done to place one or more of the fertilized eggs, called embryos, in a uterus, which is where babies develop,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
He said:
Under my leadership, the Republican Party will always support the creation of strong, thriving, and healthy American families. We want to make it easier for mothers and families to have babies — not harder. That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every state in America.
His statement about IVF comes after the Alabama Supreme Court issued a decision that frozen embryos created during IVF are considered unborn children under state law and that anyone who destroys them may be held liable.
Alabama lawmakers and Republicans faced a massive pressure campaign from both sides following the ruling and in a highly consequential election year. Democrats, including President Joe Biden, used the decision as part of their pro-abortion and reproductive health campaign. Republicans, many of whom claim to believe life begins at conception, are being told to uncritically support IVF so as not to look “extreme” — despite the moral and ethical quandaries surrounding the process, including disposal, experimentation, longterm storage, eugenic-style embryo selection, and even selective abortions later on.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speaks during Senate Democrats’ news conference in the Capitol to discuss the Alabama Supreme Court ruling on in vitro fertilization (IVF) (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images).
The Alabama Legislature ultimately passed “IVF fix” legislation providing civil and criminal immunity to IVF clinics for death or damage of embryos, now defined as human beings under the state’s wrongful death statute.
Trump’s position to leave abortion laws up to individual states comes after he floated the possibility of federal legislation limiting abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Such a limit would likely allow at least 95 percent of abortions to continue, as most occur within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states.
Some leading pro-life groups have asked Trump to consider such legislation to combat Democrats’ agenda of passing federal protections for abortion that would surpass Roe v. Wade via the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would usurp state laws and allow abortion throughout pregnancy.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
