Washington DC, United States

Former United States president Donald Trump, on Monday (Apr 8) said that he believes that the decision regarding abortion rights should be left up to the US states, but did not mention his position on a national abortion ban.

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What did Trump say? 

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee weighed in on one of the most contentious issues in American politics months ahead of the upcoming elections in November, in a video post on his social media platform, Truth Social. 

Trump has previously indicated support for a 15-week federal ban with exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother. He also reiterated his support for the availability of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

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“My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation or perhaps both. And whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state,” said the former president. 

He also said that many states will be “different” and have “different number of weeks, or some will have more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be. At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people,” Trump added. 

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However, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee did not mention anything about a national ban to prohibit abortions beyond a certain number of weeks into a pregnancy. 

In his video, on Monday, the former president also took credit for overturning the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision on Roe v Wade which effectively ended the constitutional right to an abortion. 

The reversal of the five-decade-old decision has led more than a dozen states to ban or severely restrict women’s ability to access safe and legal abortion. 

“This 50-year battle over Roe v. Wade took it out of the federal hands and brought it into the hearts, minds and vote of the people in each state. It was really something. Now it’s up to the states to do the right thing,” said Trump. 

Notably, the court’s decision to overturn the landmark decision triggered a backlash among voters and reportedly affected Republican gains in several states during the 2022 midterm elections. 

About Biden’s stance

Meanwhile, incumbent President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden has made his predecessor and Republicans’ opposition to abortion rights a key tenet of his re-election campaign. 

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“Donald Trump is endorsing every single abortion ban in the states, including abortion bans with no exceptions. And he’s bragging about his role in creating this hellscape,” said Ammar Moussa, director of rapid response for the Biden campaign, on X, on Monday. 

Earlier this month, Biden denounced a ruling by the Florida Supreme Court which allows a six-week ban on abortion to take effect. On April 1, the state’s top court upheld a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. 

The incumbent president slammed Republicans for limiting reproductive rights in Florida and other US states saying that it is “putting the health and lives of millions of women at risk.” 

(With inputs from agencies)