Trump points to other places where abortion bans after certain weeks do exist (Document)
Washington:
Donald Trump said on Sunday he favored a nationwide abortion ban (with exceptions) after a certain number of weeks, without confirming how many weeks, leaving his stance on the top issue of the U.S. election unclear.
The former president said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday” just days after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee in November’s White House race that he would make a recommendation “very soon” on the number of weeks the ban should be in place.
Trump was asked about a February New York Times article that said he had told advisers he liked the idea of a national 16-week abortion ban — with exceptions for rape, incest or the mother’s health — but was hesitant to Addressing the issue publicly lest he alienate socially conservative supporters.
He did not specify to Fox at what stage of pregnancy he believed abortion should be banned, saying “I will make a recommendation in a few weeks.”
“I think this recommendation will be accepted,” Trump said, adding that his three Supreme Court nominations would shift the balance of the court to the right, allowing it to end federal guarantees in 2022. Abortion rights are proud.
The Supreme Court’s shocking ruling leaves it to states to set their own abortion laws. Some states have enacted near-total bans; other states, such as Maryland, have passed laws providing for abortion rights. Many conservatives hope a national ban will override laws such as those in Maryland.
Biden and Democrats have leaned heavily on the issue — often pointing to polls showing a majority of Americans oppose a federal ban — while Trump said Sunday he was aware of the political risks involved.
“I think you have to have those three exceptions,” he said.
“You have to do whatever you want. But beyond that, you have to get elected, okay. If you don’t have those three exceptions, I think it’s going to be hard to get elected.”
He pointed to the defeat of a Republican gubernatorial candidate who was vehemently opposed to abortion rights in Pennsylvania’s 2022 midterm elections, where exit polls showed abortion was a major issue.
Republican losses in other off-year elections, even in typically conservative states like Kansas, have been tied to the abortion issue.
Trump noted that bans on abortion after a few weeks do exist elsewhere, particularly in France and other European countries.
His former vice president, Mike Pence, said on Sunday that he believed Trump made a mistake for not taking a stronger anti-abortion stance during the 2020 presidential campaign.
Pence, an evangelical Christian, said on Friday that he would not support his former boss, telling CBS that he would like to see the Republican candidate support a ban of at least 15 weeks.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
