Former and potentially future President Donald Trump ran on and ended up being the most pro-life president we've ever had. Unfortunately for the pro-life movement and, more importantly, unborn Americans, he was replaced with the most pro-abortion administration we've ever had under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. While the Biden-Harris ticket campaigns on claims that it's looking to "codify" the protections under Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case overturned with the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision, Trump stands in stark contrast.
On Friday, The New York Times reported, "Trump Privately Expresses Support for a 16-Week Abortion Ban," with the subheadline noting, "[I]n supporting a 16-week ban with exceptions, Donald Trump appears to be trying to satisfy social conservatives who want to further restrict abortion access and voters who want more modest limits."
This is The New York Times we're talking about here, which hasn't exactly been fair to the pro-life movement or Trump, though it has been coming around regarding making certain admittances about how people feel about Biden and Trump. If the outlet is looking to portray Trump in a negative light with such a subheadline, it doesn't look like it'll succeed, especially as voters support commonsense abortion limits.
The report actually shows Trump making properly thought-out considerations on the issue while being aware of very real concerns Democrats have fearmongered on to turn abortion into a winning issue. Trump himself blamed pro-lifers for the 2022 midterm elections being more disappointing for Republicans than expected, which ruffled some feathers.
As the report mentions:
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Former President Donald J. Trump has told advisers and allies that he likes the idea of a 16-week national abortion ban with three exceptions, in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother, according to two people with direct knowledge of Mr. Trump’s deliberations.
Mr. Trump has studiously avoided taking a clear position on restrictions to abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned in the middle of 2022, galvanizing Democrats ahead of the midterm elections that year. He has said in private that he wants to wait until the Republican presidential primary contest is over to publicly discuss his views, because he doesn’t want to risk alienating social conservatives before he has secured the nomination, the two people said.
...
One thing Mr. Trump likes about a 16-week federal ban on abortions is that it’s a round number. “Know what I like about 16?” Mr. Trump told one of these people, who was given anonymity to describe a private conversation. “It’s even. It’s four months.”
When discussing prospective vice-presidential candidates, Mr. Trump often asks whether they are “OK on abortion.” He is instantly dismissive when he hears that a Republican doesn’t support “the three exceptions.” He tells advisers that Republicans will keep losing elections with that position.
...
In backing a 16-week ban, Mr. Trump would be trying to satisfy both social conservatives who want to further restrict access to abortions and Republican and independent voters who want more modest limits on the procedure.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America called attention to Trump's reported stance, praising the likely nominee on its X account.
Tagging Trump in the post, the organization said it "strongly agrees" with him regarding "protecting babies from abortion violence at 16 weeks when they feel pain." A "majority of Americans support this compassionate position," SBA Pro-Life America mentions, with a subsequent post pointing to polls showing that support.
Scientific research shows that unborn babies can indeed feel pain by this point, at around 15 weeks, which has been another provision introduced at the state and federal levels. Abortions past this point in pregnancy – which is past the first trimester – are also increasingly dangerous for women.
Multiple post-Dobbs polls show that at least 7 in 10 Americans support significant limits on abortion.https://t.co/xBGvPraKmR
— SBA Pro-Life America (@sbaprolife) February 16, 2024
In recent months, there has been chatter about whether Trump is pro-life enough, especially compared to other Republicans who ran for president at one point. In particular, Trump criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – once considered to be Trump's chief rival for the nomination – for signing a bill that protects unborn babies once a fetal heartbeat is detected at around six weeks. During an interview with NBC News' "Meet the Press" last September, Trump insisted it was a "terrible thing" and "a terrible mistake."
He also made subsequent remarks, though less controversial, in Iowa, insisting that Republicans support the exceptions above or risk losing voters.
Despite concerns about alienating social conservatives, Trump won Iowa in historic fashion with 51 percent of the vote. DeSantis came in a distant second with 21.3 percent and dropped out days later, before the New Hampshire Republican Primary.
Another unfortunate reality for the pro-life movement and the unborn is that Democrats do have the edge on the abortion issue in polls. State ballot initiatives regarding abortion have all gone the way of the pro-abortion movement. That's for a mix of reasons, from the pro-abortion movement wildly outspending the pro-life movement to confusing language on the part of some pro-life initiatives.
Granted, this is due to Democrats' successful fearmongering about "abortion bans," but it's where we are. When criticizing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – who has since become an Independent with his presidential campaign – for his flip-flopping on supporting abortion up until birth, SBA Pro-Life America highlighted an article from just after the November 2022 election showing how pro-abortion Democratic candidates were coached on the issue by pollsters.
Polling also shows that Americans don't agree with elective abortion up until birth or for it to be funded by taxpayer dollars, which is something the Democratic Party does support. Gallup shows that just 37 percent of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in the second trimester, and just 22 percent believe that it should be legal in the third trimester.
Further, and this is perhaps the most key of all, when Democrats say they want to "codify" Roe, they actually mean they would expand the decision by invalidating pro-life laws on the books at the state level. Abortion would thus be available for any reason up until birth without legal limit in all 50 states.
It doesn't help that Biden and the White House have caused considerable confusion as to where the president stands on the issue. This isn't just because he's a senile, old man that voters have concerns with, but because it's in the Democratic Party's favor to do that.
For Trump to pick a commonsense and compassionate position on abortion for 2024 and ensure that his running mate shares that view is key for the November election. Perhaps it need not be a losing issue for Republicans.
