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Donald Trump on Abortion2016 Republican incumbent President; 2000 Reform Primary Challenger for President |
JD VANCE: I never supported a national ban. When I was running for Senate in 2022, I did talk about setting some minimum national standard.
TRUMP responds on Truth Social: "EVERYONE KNOWS I WOULD NOT SUPPORT A FEDERAL ABORTION BAN, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, AND WOULD, IN FACT, VETO IT, BECAUSE IT IS UP TO THE STATES TO DECIDE BASED ON THE WILL OF THEIR VOTERS (THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE!). LIKE RONALD REAGAN BEFORE ME, I FULLY SUPPORT THE THREE EXCEPTIONS FOR RAPE, INCEST, AND THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER. I DO NOT SUPPORT THE DEMOCRATS RADICAL POSITION OF LATE TERM ABORTION LIKE, AS AN EXAMPLE, IN THE 7TH, 8TH, OR 9TH MONTH OR, IN CASE THERE IS ANY QUESTION, THE POSSIBILITY OF EXECUTION OF THE BABY AFTER BIRTH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!"
CLAIM: Virginia Governor Ralph Northam during a 2019 radio interview spoke in support of infanticide, or "after-birth abortions."
AP'S ASSESSMENT: False. Northam was giving a hypothetical example of what could happen if a mother, whose fetus wasn't otherwise viable, requested an abortion while in labor. His comments came in response to a question about whether he supported state legislation that would have loosened restrictions on abortions later in pregnancy.
THE FACTS: Social media users are misrepresenting comments Northam made: "The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother."
TRUMP: I believe in the exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. I believe strongly in it. Ronald Reagan did also. 85% of Republicans do. Exceptions. Very important. But we were able to get it. And now states are voting on it. Now, Ohio, the vote was somewhat liberal. Kansas the vote was somewhat liberal. Much more liberal than people would have thought. But each individual state is voting. It's the vote of the people now. It's not tied up in the federal government. I did a great service in doing it. It took courage to do it. And the supreme court had great courage in doing it. And I give tremendous credit to those six justices.
Some worried about the high cost of such a policy. Others confessed they don't understand what he's proposing to do. Yet others wondered aloud if Trump was serious. And numerous Trump allies said his announcement came as a surprise to them.
Some wondered if Trump was serious about his call for government-mandated coverage of IVF, or whether he simply said it to mute Democratic attacks that a Trump victory would threaten access to IVF.
"We are going to be, under the Trump administration, we are going to be paying for that treatment," Trump told NBC News last month when asked what he'd do about IVF if elected. "We're going to be mandating that the insurance company pay."
There is scant evidence of a Republican appetite for that plan in Congress.
Heading into the final day of the Republican Party's first national gathering since the Supreme Court's landmark decision, which has allowed more than a third of states to ban nearly all abortions, the issue has barely received a passing mention. Main-stage speakers have instead leaned into economic populism, and isolationism.
But most GOP delegates are fine with abortion not taking center stage, saying they have little interest in divisive social issues that could damage the nominee at a moment when Trump appears on a glidepath to victory. While Democrats and abortion-rights groups stage press conferences outside the convention and attempt to use GOP vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance's past statements to bring abortion back into the political spotlight, the GOP is choosing not to engage.
The problem [pro-choice Democrats] have is they're radical because they will take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month, and even after birth. If you look at the former governor of Virginia, he was willing to do this. He said, "we'll put the baby aside and we'll determine what we do with the baby." Meaning, "we'll kill the baby."
So that means he can take the life of the baby in the ninth month and even after birth, because some states--Democrat-run--take it after birth. Again, the former governor of Virginia: "put the baby down, then we decide what to do with it." So he's willing to, as we say, rip the baby out of the womb in the 9th month and kill the baby. [See FactCheck: no state allows abortion after birth].
[Governor Ron DeSantis claimed in a 2023 interview], "In some liberal states, you actually have post-birth abortions and I think that's wrong." The post-birth abortion claim is something that Republicans and anti-abortion activists have repeated for years, before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. The claim was wrong then, and it is wrong now: Willfully terminating a newborn's life is not legal in any state. There is not a state, or probably any place in the world, that would allow someone to murder an infant after they were born.
TRUMP: First of all, the Supreme Court just approved the abortion pill. And I agree with their decision to have done that, and I will not block it.
BIDEN: The fact is that the vast majority of constitutional scholars supported Roe when it was decided. And this is the guy [Trump] who says the states should be able to have it. We're in a state where in six weeks, you don't even know whether you're pregnant or not, but you cannot see the doctor or have your--and have him decide on what your circumstances are, whether you need help. The idea that states are able to do this is a little like saying, we're going to turn civil rights back to the states. Let each state have a different rule.
In one particularly deranged moment, Trump falsely claimed that Democratic politicians support the practice of executing babies after they've been born: "I will continue to stand strong against the extreme late-term abortionists, the Democrat party, who believe in abortion on demand in the ninth month of pregnancy, and even executing babies after birth. Beyond birth, executing the baby. This is where we've come and it's so sad to see."
The move goes a long way toward fulfilling a top goal of anti-abortion groups that have lobbied hard for it. But scientists say the tissue is crucial for studies that benefit millions of patients.
"Promoting the dignity of human life from conception to natural death is one of the very top priorities of President Trump's administration," the department said in a statement. It added that about 200 research projects involving fetal tissue and conducted at universities with N.I.H. grants would be allowed to continue until their funding expires, but that ethics advisory boards would review and recommend whether to fund future individual projects involving aborted fetal tissue.
FACT-CHECK: This is false. Trump said, "Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth." The state recently passed a law loosening restrictions on abortions in the state, allowing abortions after 24 weeks if the fetus is not viable or when it's necessary to protect the life of the mother. The president paints the picture of a healthy mother and child, but an abortion would not be legal in that scenario after 24 weeks.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pushed back at critics, noting that it is "just a mirror of the federal law"--the abortion rights enshrined in the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. What's more, abortions later in pregnancy are exceedingly rare: just 1.3% of abortions in the US in 2015 took place in or after the 21st week.
To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb.
Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children--born and unborn--are made in the holy image of God.
Trump charged lawmakers in New York with having "cheered with delight" after recently passing legislation to "allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments before birth." He accused Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam of "basically" stating that "he would execute a baby after birth." [see separate Fact-Checks!]
"There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days," Trump said, in calling for legislation to curb 3rd-trimester abortions.
It was the first time that Trump mentioned abortion in any of his three addresses to Congress since becoming president. Republicans see abortion as an issue that will help fire up Trump's base for his 2020 re-election.
Trump: "I do not want to say that because I want to show unpredictability. You have to. You can't just go around and say that. But Planned Parenthood should absolutely be defunded. I mean if you look at what's going on with that, it's terrible. And many of the things should be defunded and many things should be cut."; "I would look at the individual things that they do and maybe some of the things are good," Trump said. "We have to take care of women. We have to absolutely take care of women. The abortion aspect of Planned Parenthood should not--absolutely should not--be funded."
Clinton: "I have seen excerpts from [the anti-Planned Parenthood videos]. And I have certainly read about them. And what I am troubled by are the misleading, inaccurate allegations about them that we heard from Republicans at their debate."
TRUMP: If you go with what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month, you can rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby. Now, Hillary can say that that's OK. But it's not OK with me, because based on what she's saying, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month on the final day. And that's not acceptable.
Q: Is it the government's business to be in that decision?
TRUMP: Honestly, nobody has business doing what I just said, doing that, as late as one or two or three or four days prior to birth. Nobody has that.
TRUMP: Well, if that would happen, because I am pro-life, and I will be appointing pro-life judges, I would think that that will go back to the individual states. If we put another two or perhaps three justice on, that's really what's going to be. That'll happen automatically, in my opinion, because I am putting pro-life justices on the court. I will say this: It will go back to the states, and the states will then make a determination.
CLINTON: I strongly support Roe v. Wade, which guarantees a constitutional right to a woman to make the most intimate decisions about her health care that one can imagine. And in this case, it's not only about Roe v. Wade. It is about what's happening right now in America. So many states are putting very stringent regulations on women that block them from exercising that choice.
TRUMP: As far as Planned Parenthood is concerned, I'm pro-life. I'm totally against abortion, having to do with Planned Parenthood. But millions and millions of women -- cervical cancer, breast cancer -- are helped by Planned Parenthood. So you can say whatever you want, but they have millions of women going through Planned Parenthood that are helped greatly. And I wouldn't fund it. I would defund it because of the abortion factor, which they say is 3 percent. I don't know what percentage it is. They say it's 3%. But I would defund it, because I'm pro-life. But millions of women are helped by Planned Parenthood.
TRUMP: You are the biggest liar. Today, we had robo-calls saying. "Donald Trump is not going to run in South Carolina," -- where I'm leading by a lot." I'm not going to vote for Ted Cruz. This guy will say anything, nasty guy. Now I know why he doesn't have one endorsement from any of his colleagues.
CRUZ: You said, "Planned Parenthood does wonderful things and we should not defund it."
TRUMP: It does do wonderful things but not as it relates to abortion. There are wonderful things having to do with women's health, but not when it comes to abortion.
TRUMP: I do not want to say that because I want to show unpredictability. You have to. You can't just go around and say that. But Planned Parenthood should absolutely be defunded. I mean if you look at what's going on with that, it's terrible. And many of the things should be defunded and many things should be cut.
TRUMP: I hate the concept of abortion. I hate anything about abortion, and yet, I'm totally for choice. I think you have no alternative.
TRUMP:I don't know--but it's possible. I give to so many organizations over the years. Hundreds of millions of dollars, so I really don't know. But look, Planned Parenthood has to stop with the abortions. A lot of people consider it an abortion clinic. I think those tapes that I saw were outrageous and disgusting by any standpoint. And they have to stop.
Q: So you would not shut down the government over Planned Parenthood funding?
TRUMP: I wouldn't fund it if they have abortion going on. Now, you hear all different numbers. They say it's 3%, other people say it's 85%. That's a big difference. So I'd certainly look into it.
Q: But would you shut down the government over this dispute?
Source: Meet the Press 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls , Aug 16, 2015
TRUMP: I've evolved on many issues over the years. And you know who else has? Is Ronald Reagan evolved on many issues. And I am pro-life. And if you look at the question, I was in business. They asked me a question as to pro-life or choice. And I said if you let [that quoted excerpt] run, that I hate the concept of abortion. I hate the concept of abortion. And then since then, I've very much evolved. And what happened is friends of mine years ago were going to have a child, and it was going to be aborted. And it wasn't aborted. And that child today is a total superstar, a great, great child. And I saw that. And I saw other instances. And I am very, very proud to say that I am pro-life.
Describing himself as "pro-life," Trump told Bloomberg News in January that he believes abortion should be banned at some point in pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest or life of the mother. In 2011 he explained to the Christian Broadcasting Network that he had changed his mind on the issue. In "The America We Deserve," Trump then wrote that he supported a woman's right to choose.
Trump said he's undecided on the controversial science and he wants to investigate it further before formulating an official position. He also appeared to recognize the controversial nature of embryonic stem cell research by assuring the newspaper he has not funded it in his business enterprises.
"I would say that I'd like to get back to you because I'm studying it very closely," Trump said. "It's an issue, don't forget, that as a businessman I've never been involved in."
As the 2012 race intensifies, pro-life advocates must call upon Donald Trump to further explain his stand on important pro-life issues like Supreme Court nominations and repeal of the pro-abortion Obama healthcare law.
A: One thing about me, I'm a very honorable guy. I'm pro-life, but I changed my view a number of years ago. One of the primary reasons I changed [was] a friend of mine's wife was pregnant, and he didn't really want the baby. He was crying as he was telling me the story. He ends up having the baby and the baby is the apple of his eye. It's the greatest thing that's ever happened to him. And you know here's a baby that wasn't going to be let into life. And I heard this, and some other stories, and I am pro-life.
Q: So those stories did change you, they came around and changed you?
A: They changed me. Yeah, they changed my view as to that, absolutely.
In his CPAC speech, Trump sounded many themes popular with Republican conservatives. "I am pro-life," he said. "I am against gun control."
And in one of his biggest applause lines, Trump vowed to end the nation's health care law: "I will fight to end Obamacare and replace it with something that makes sense for
The Christian Coalition Voter Guide inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Public Funding of Abortions (Such as Govt. Health Benefits and Planned Parenthood)' The Christian Coalition notes, "You can help make sure that voters have the facts BEFORE they cast their votes. We have surveyed candidates in the most competitive congressional races on the issues that are important to conservatives."
The Christian Coalition Voter Guide inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Parental Notification for Abortions by Minors' The Christian Coalition notes, "You can help make sure that voters have the facts BEFORE they cast their votes. We have surveyed candidates in the most competitive congressional races on the issues that are important to conservatives."
The Christian Coalition Voter Guide inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Appointing Judges Who Will Adhere to a Strict Interpretation of the Constitution)' The Christian Coalition notes, `You can help make sure that voters have the facts BEFORE they cast their votes. We have surveyed candidates in the most competitive congressional races on the issues that are important to conservatives, but now we need you