Former President Donald Trump said it’s up to individual states to decide abortion laws.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, posted on Truth Social, his media platform, his stance on the controversial issue.
“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. “Many states will be different. Many states will have a different number of weeks … at the end of the day it is all about the will of the people.”
According to Fox News, this announcement put to rest Trump’s feelings on abortion after he hadn’t previously voiced his standpoint on the matter. The issue of abortion is expected to be a critical issue in the upcoming presidential election.
In Monday’s video, Trump continued his support for in vitro fertilization (IVF) as well as his support “for states determining their own laws for abortion so long as there are exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother,” Fox News reported.
He did not state his position on a national ban. This ban has been bolstered by his allies, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and former White House aide Kellyanne Conway, NBC News reported.
Trump recently said he was considering a 15-week ban, per Fox News.
“The number of weeks now, people are agreeing on 15. And I’m thinking in terms of that. It’ll come out to something that’s very reasonable. But people are really, even hard-liners are agreeing, seems to be, 15 weeks seems to be a number that people are agreeing at,” he said.
Trump also stated his pride in his part in overturning Roe v. Wade, Fox News reported.
“The Republican Party should always be on the side of the miracle of life and the side of mothers, fathers and their beautiful babies. IVF is an important part of that,” Trump said.
He states he’s the “most pro-life president in American history.”
Trump lives in Florida, but has not come out with his opinion on the state’s new six-week ban, per NBC.
“When he’s teased support for a nationwide ban, his words often appear to contradict formal statements put out by his campaign,” NBC reported.
Polling has shown that most Americans believe abortion should be legal through the initial stages of pregnancy, per Fox News.
A recent Fox News poll found that in the past year, support for a 15-week ban dropped by 12 points, with 54% of voters now opposed.
President Joe Biden’s campaign seized on the opportunity by pointing out Trump’s different stances on abortion, per NBC News.
“Donald Trump doesn’t trust women,” Biden said in a new ad. “I do.”
As soon as the video was released, people flocked to X, formerly Twitter, to express their views.
