United States – The Republican candidate for president and Former President Donald Trump stated that he was siding with a 15-week nationwide abortion ban but supported exemptions for cases of rape, sexual violence, incest, and saving the mother’s life, mainly because “you have to win elections.”
Decisive Issue
Abortion is one of the decisive issues for many women in the upcoming 2024 presidential election in which Donald Trump will likely try to unseat Democratic President Joe Biden.
The former GOP president, who saw the last three of his conservative appointees to the US Supreme Court constitute the majority decision to nullify the Roe v. Wade in 2022, has not made it clear whether he would sign a nationwide ban into law, as reported by Reuters.
Trump’s Ambiguous Stance
“People are agreeing on 15 weeks now. And I’m thinking in terms of that. And it’ll come out to something that’s very reasonable. But people are really, even hard-liners are, agreeing. Fifteen weeks seems to be a number that people are agreeing at,” Trump said on the “Sid & Friends in the Morning” show on WABC.
He asserted that he would do so when the time came.
Republican Views and Exceptions
Trump mentioned that he is on the same page with the Republican views in favor of a wide exception to the ban on abortion concerning circumstances such as a case of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
According to Trump, he reminds Republicans who take a tougher stance, “This is the issue: you need to win elections.” If not, you would find yourself back at the beginning.”
The Biden campaign attacked the Republican laws restricting reproductive rights in states after the court deprived women of their abortion rights sealed in the decision overturning Roe, which had recognized constitutional protections to a woman’s right to abortion. Voter reaction to the midterm elections has a lot more to do with restricting Republicans’ advancement in the House than any other factor.
State-Level Restrictions
Republicans have now passed abortion restrictions in nearly two dozen states that overturn the Supreme Court’s decision against abortion.
When contacted by the press during the voting in Florida on Tuesday, Trump took the question on his views on the 16-week abortion restriction. “We’ll be talking about that soon,” he responded, as reported by Reuters.
Last month, the New York Times revealed that Trump had privately voiced support for outlawing abortions after 16 weeks.