Trump-allied Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., “respectfully” disagrees with former President Donald Trump’s position that abortion is a state issue, while former Vice President Mike Pence slammed Trump for his silence on a national abortion ban Monday after Trump ended months of uncertainty surrounding his stance on the issue—drawing blowback from both his supporters and opponents.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) appears on "Meet the Press" in Washington D.C., Sunday March 10, ... [+]
Graham, who authored legislation to ban abortions at 15 weeks, said the “states’ rights only rationale” Trump endorsed Monday “will age about as well as the Dred Scott decision,” referring to the 19th century Supreme Court ruling that determined enslaved people are not U.S. citizens.
Graham, a staunch Trump ally, said the “pro-life movement has always been about the well-being of the unborn child—not geography,” adding that he will continue to advocate for a national abortion ban at 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.
Pence, a staunch abortion opponent, accused Trump of a “retreat on the Right To Life,” calling it a “slap in the face to millions of pro-life Americans who voted for him in 2016 and 2020” in a tweet Monday.
His comments come after Trump on Monday clarified his stance on abortion in a video announcement declaring that states should establish their own abortion laws, while taking credit for appointing conservative Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to ban the procedure altogether.
The anti-abortion rights group Susan B. Anthony List, which has endorsed Trump’s 2024 bid, said it was “deeply disappointed” in Trump’s position, accusing Democrats of wanting to “wipe out states’ rights.”
Graham said he would introduce legislation requiring medical providers to administer anesthesia when performing abortions past 15 weeks of pregnancy, arguing that “a child at fifteen weeks is well-developed and capable of feeling pain.” Abortion opponents frequently raise the medically disputed theory when arguing for restrictions on the procedure, but “the science conclusively establishes that a human fetus does not have the capacity to experience pain until after at least 24-25 weeks,” according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Trump did not take a position on a federal abortion ban in his statement Monday, after indicating he was weighing supporting a ban at 15 weeks. President Joe Biden, responding to Trump’s proposal in a sharply worded statement, warned that “if Donald Trump is elected and the MAGA Republicans in Congress put a national abortion ban on the Resolute Desk, Trump will sign it into law,” while promising to restore federal abortion protections if he’s re-elected. Trump made the statement as Democrats have continued to capitalize on the public backlash to the overturning of Roe v. Wade by attacking Republicans who want to restrict abortion and as Biden has made Trump’s role in the consequential 2022 Supreme Court decision a central focus of his re-election campaign.
Trump Wants To Leave Abortion Up To States—Ending Months Of Uncertainty On Position (Forbes)
Trump Signals Support For 15-Week Abortion Ban—But He Hasn't Always Thought This Way (Forbes)