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What Do Trump's Heartbeat Bill Comments Say About Abortion Issue and Pro-Life Candidates in 2024 Race?

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  September 19, 2023 6:45 PM

Sunday's edition of "Meet the Press" kicked off its first episode hosted by Kristen Welker by airing an interview with former and potentially future President Donald Trump. 

A particularly memorable part of the interview entailed Trump's response on abortion. While Trump has touted his credentials as the most pro-life president in our nation's history, he nevertheless took the chance to refer to the heartbeat bill that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signed in April as "a terrible thing and a terrible mistake." 

Guy's analysis from Monday covered how "Welker played defense" for the Democratic Party's position on abortion. She most certainly did. If there's one issue where the bias of mainstream media journalists comes out, it's on abortion. It's not just Welker, but in recent months has also involved Norah O'Donnell, Katie Couric, and Dasha Burns.

Viewers certainly couldn't depend on Welker to give a fair assessment of the abortion issue. And the "fact-check" that NBC News put out about the interview didn't help. NBC News even came to the defense of then-Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA) and his comments promoting infanticide in 2019. 

"While some Democrats support broad access to abortion regardless of gestation age, infanticide is illegal, and no Democrats advocate for it. Just 1% of abortions are performed after 21 weeks of gestation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," one paragraph reads. 

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While that 1 percent figure is indeed what the CDC says, these are just estimates, and that still means that over 6,000 abortions took place after 21 weeks. There's also no mention of why it is that these abortions occur. While pro-abortion Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media, like Welker, claim that such abortions occur because of "crisis" situations, which usually mean the life of the mother is at risk or there is a fetal abnormality. Studies show, however, that many women who receive abortions later in pregnancy do so for logistical factors, such as how they had a hard time deciding or getting the funds together or didn't know they were pregnant until later in pregnancy.

In such a "fact-check," NBC News also missed the opportunity to point out that Democrats support the Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA), which would expand the Roe v. Wade decision by allowing for abortion up until birth without legal limit and also invalidate state pro-life laws on the books.

It would be more accurate to say that "virtually all Democrats," rather than "some Democrats" support the WHPA. Those who voted against it include Texas' Rep. Henry Cuellar, who almost lost his primary to an abortion advocate, and West Virginia's Sen. Joe Manchin, who is considering leaving the party. 

Thus, the onus ought to be on pro-life candidates to defend the issue and do so properly and forcefully. That does not look to be the case here with Trump. Rather, he saw a chance to go after DeSantis, and he took it. 

At this point in the interview, Trump and Welker were discussing a federal abortion ban at 15 weeks, by which point an unborn child can feel pain and the procedure becomes increasingly dangerous for the woman. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced a bill banning abortion at 15 weeks last September. Polls, including a recently released Cygnal poll, show that this 15-week limit is where most Americans are at. 

"People are starting to think of 15 weeks. That seems to be a number that people are talking about right now," Trump offered. When Welker pushed him further on whether he would sign such a ban, the former president offered, "I would sit down with both sides, and I'd negotiate something, and we'll end up with peace on that issue for the first time in 52 years. I'm not going to say I would or I wouldn't. I mean, DeSanctus is willing to sign a five-week and six-week ban," using one of his nicknames for the governor. 

When pressed on that too, and if it "goes too far," Trump said, "I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake. But we'll come up with a number." Trump then went on to call out pro-abortion Democrats who would support the procedure even in later months of pregnancy.

The law in question that DeSantis signed in April would limit abortion in Florida, with exceptions, when a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually at around six weeks. 

DeSantis himself responded during an Iowa radio show hit, saying that "protecting babies with heartbeats is not terrible," offering that "Donald Trump may think it's terrible," but "I think protecting babies with heartbeats is noble and just." The governor reaffirmed, "I'm proud to have signed the heartbeat bill in Florida," adding, "And I know Iowa has similar legislation." 

DeSantis took it further, pointing out, "I don't know how you can even make the claim that you're somehow pro-life if you're criticizing states for enacting pro-life protections for babies that have heartbeats, and so I thought him saying that those bills were terrible, I think was a terrible statement and I think it's a window into how he's changing as he's running this campaign." 

As DeSantis also offered about Trump, "I think he's changing in a way that is not consistent with the values of the people of Iowa." Iowa not only has the first voting contest with the Republican Iowa Caucus taking place on January 15, 2024, but it is also particularly pro-life.

When addressing if it's even "possible" to compromise with Democrats on abortion, DeSantis pointed to how, while he has given the president credit and support where it's due, Trump had run into trouble when doing deals with the Democrats. "They ended up taking him to the cleaners," DeSantis offered, "and so I think if he's going into this thinking he's going to make the Democrats happy with respect to right to life, I think all pro-lifers should know that he's preparing to sell you out." 

"I don't think that what he's saying would work, and I don't think he would be able to generate a quote 'deal' that would be acceptable to pro-lifers," DeSantis made clear. 

The idea of "compromise" was a theme for the DeSantis campaign's response. The DeSantis campaign responded with multiple posts calling out Trump, and a thread addressing his remarks is a pinned post.

Since the interview, the DeSantis War Room has posted and reposted Trump's remarks dozens of times, mostly with comments from others, including pro-lifers, criticizing the former president. 

Among those levying criticisms highlighted by the DeSantis War Room include Allie Beth Stuckey, the Babylon Bee's Seth Dillon, Live Action's Lila Rose, Matt Walsh, State Rep. Jon Dunwell (R-IA), Nicholas Sandmann, Alliance Defending Freedom's Kristen Waggoner, and Ben Shapiro.

Never Back Down, a Super PAC supporting DeSantis, also highlighted the comments of the former president. As the video mentioned, other states, not just Florida, have signed heartbeat bills into law.

A press release of theirs also highlighted responses from the Iowa Family Leader's Bob Vander Plaats, the American Principles Project's Jon Schweppe, National Review editors, attorney Ed Whelan, Trump 2020 campaign staffer Lizzie Marbach, former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis, Marc Thiessen, The Spectator's Ben Domenech, and LifeSiteNews, in addition to those also mentioned above.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America's Marjorie Dannenfelser reiterated her support for DeSantis signing the heartbeat bill. SBA Pro-Life America also shared a column in The Wall Street Journal from William McGurn, "Donald Trump Owes Pro-Lifers," from Monday night.

Students for Life's Kristan Hawkins also posted about Trump's remarks and shared a letter she sent to the former president asking for clarification. 

There's been media coverage as well on those opposed to Trump's comments, including from the Daily Signal and Fox News. The Hill covered how Trump's remarks might hurt him in Iowa. 

Trump does have pro-life support and has shown he was a pro-life president, though, in a way, it makes the bragging about the support all the more curious. On Friday night, at the Concerned Women for America's Leadership Summit, Penny Nance said, "Without question, Donald Trump is the most pro-life President in American history." The Make America Great Again Inc. Super PAC was all too happy to send out a press release about Nance's remarks that same night. 

They've also continued to tout Trump's pro-life credentials since the interview aired. 

Whatever one does think of the bragging, though, he is responsible for getting Roe v. Wade overturned as the three justices he nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court were the key votes in the Dobbs v. Jackson decision officially handed down last June. 

It's too early to say if Trump's comments hurt him in the polls, including and especially in Iowa. The Republican Iowa Caucus is almost four months to the day, and there's still plenty of time for the numbers to change. Currently, Trump leads in Iowa by +30.2, with 46 percent to DeSantis' 15.8 percent.