Donald Trump abortion stance: Let states handle it

(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump said Monday it’d be best if states handled abortion the way their constituents want.

He said he’s in favor of exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. He also said he “strongly” supports fertility treatments.

In his announcement on Truth Social, Trump repeated debunked claims that most legal scholars wanted Roe v. Wade overturned and that Democrats support “execution” of viable fetuses.

The announcement was long-anticipated because Democrats view abortion as a winning topic for them. Polling has consistently shown that most Americans believe abortion should be legal through the initial stages of pregnancy. About half of U.S. adults said abortions should be permitted at the 15-week mark, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted last June.

Data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the vast majority of abortions from 2012 to 2021 were performed within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser criticized Trump in a statement, though added that her organization, as well as other anti-abortion groups, will still work “tirelessly to defeat President Biden.”

“Saying the issue is ‘back to the states’ cedes the national debate to the Democrats who are working relentlessly to enact legislation mandating abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy,” she said. “If successful, they will wipe out states’ rights.”

Meanwhile, Ammar Moussa, the rapid response director for President Joe Biden’s campaign, said Trump’s remarks meant he is “endorsing every single abortion ban in the states, including abortion bans with no exceptions.”

“He’s bragging about his role in creating this hellscape,” Moussa wrote on the social platform X.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report