Donald Trump, Republican candidate for the presidency of the United States, broke his silence yesterday on one of the issues that divides his party the most, the right to abortion. In a four-minute video posted on the platform Truth Social, he said the decision should remain in the hands of the states, thus taking a stand against the national ban that many in his party are advocating.
Since the Supreme Court, with three justices appointed by Trump himself, repealed the federal protections in 2022, their legality has been up to the government and state courts.
"My opinion is that, now that we have abortion where everyone wanted it from a legal point of view, the states must determine it by vote or legislation", said the former president and candidate, after months of giving signals ambiguous about their position. "It will vary depending on each state: it will be prohibited from a different number of weeks, some will be more conservative than others, and that's how it should be. At the end of the day, it's about the will of the people."
Trump, who has put on the medal of being "the person proudly responsible" for the repeal in 2022 of the decision of the Roe v. Wade case - which protected abortion on a national scale for half a century -, clarified that the ban of abortion must have exceptions "in case of incest, rape and when the life of the mother is in danger". "Republicans, and everyone else, need to pay attention to their hearts and minds, but remember that, as Ronald Reagan said before, I and most other Republicans believe in these exceptions," he stressed.
Until now, the tycoon had tried to maintain his ambiguity about an affair that can be decisive in the November elections. His rival in the elections, the Democrat Joe Biden, has made the protection of abortion one of the central issues of the campaign and defends the restoration of the right on a national scale.
One of the main conservative anti-abortion groups, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, issued a statement yesterday criticizing Trump's position. “We are deeply disappointed,” said President Marjorie Dannenfelser, “unborn children and their mothers deserve national protections and national defense against the brutality of the abortion industry. The Dobbs decision – which overturned Roe vs. Wade – clearly allows both states and Congress to act.” And he added that "saying that the issue goes back to the states cedes the national debate to the Democrats".
The former president, who got rid of all internal opposition during the Republican primaries process, had avoided speaking out on the matter so as not to alienate his more conservative voters, among whom he maintains the image of an anti-abortion leader. But after last week's decision by the Florida Supreme Court to allow the six-week ban pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, pressure has increased among voters for him to clarify his position.
“You have to follow your heart in this matter. But remember, we also have to win the elections to restore our culture and, in fact, to save our country, which is currently a nation in decline."
