Former President Donald Trump is getting cheers and jeers from conservatives on his current policy stance regarding abortion, which is to leave this decision to the states.
Trump’s comments on how, if left to the states to decide, some states, like Florida, which has a 6-week abortion ban, would be much stronger than a 15-week national abortion plan floated by pro-life groups.
Pro-life groups and conservative media outlets had some criticism for the former president.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said they were “deeply disappointed” that Trump didn’t embrace a 15-week federal ban. Earlier this year, pro-life organizations were happy after hearing reports that the Trump campaign was possibly looking at endorsing a 15-week national abortion ban.
The editors at the conservative publication National Review said Trump could have strengthened his position much better by reminding voters that Democrats support taxpayer funding for abortion.
“The Democrats’ position, however appalling and deceptive, is at least a position. Trump is transparently trying to avoid taking one. Trump was specific about which abortions he would permit — those for rape, for incest, and to save a mother’s life — but declined to endorse or even mention any proposal to protect unborn children, even one as limited as a ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy,” said National Review.
But other conservative groups, such as the National Right to Life, praised Trump for his “extraordinary leadership and historic results on behalf of vulnerable unborn children and their mothers.”
On the media front, Marc Thiessen a Fox News analyst and conservative columnist at the Washington Post said Trump was telling the truth by stating this issue should be settled at the state level. Thiessen said there is no way the U.S. Senate will get 60 votes to pass a 15-week national abortion ban.
Thiessen’s comments were echoed by Kim Strassel at the Wall Street Journal. She asserted that a national abortion ban doesn’t have the votes.
“Before you neutralize this at the national level, the GOP need to get this straight at the state level. It’s there where the initiatives are taking place and must be confronted,” said Strassel.
