Former President Donald Trump has drawn ire from pro-life conservatives after he blasted the six-week abortion ban championed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as “horrific.”
“I think what he did was a terrible thing and a terrible mistake,” Trump, 77, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” when asked about the policy in an interview that aired Sunday.
The 45th president’s remarks sparked a backlash among anti-abortion activists, including from groups such as Live Action and Students for Life, who have pushed the 2024 Republican presidential candidate to stand firm on the issue following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade last year.
“Sad and shameful. Trump is actively attacking the very pro-life laws made possible by overturning Roe,” Lila Rose of Live Action said at X, formerly known as Twitter. “The Heartbeat Law has saved thousands of babies. But Trump wants to compromise the lives of babies so pro-abortion Dems ‘like him.’ Trump should never be the GOP nominee.”
“Hey @realDonaldTrump, protecting human life at 5 or 6 weeks isn’t a ‘horrible thing’ … it’s the right thing,” added Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life.
Donald Trump has encouraged Republicans to avoid taking too strict a stance on abortion. Getty Images
The Susan B. Anthony List, which has pushed candidates to call for a national abortion ban — and criticized candidates like DeSantis for refusing to do so — initially had a tame response to Trump.
“We are at a moment where we need a human rights advocate, someone dedicated to saving children’s lives and serving mothers in need. Every candidate should be clear about how they plan to do it,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, SBA president, said in a statement.
“Anything after 15 weeks of protection for unborn babies (when science proves they can feel pain) as a national minimum standard makes no sense.”
We’ve seen the disastrous results of Donald Trump’s compromise with Democrats: over $7 trillion in new debt, an unfinished border wall, and the prison-breaking First Steps Act that allowed violent criminals to return to the streets.
Republicans across the country know that Ron… https://t.co/1g6oURZ63m
— Andrew Romeo (@andrewromeo33) September 17, 2023
DeSantis signed the Florida Heartbeat Protection Act in April, banning the procedure after detection of a fetal heartbeat, which advocates of stricter restrictions say can occur as soon as six weeks into pregnancy.
The law had been blocked in court pending litigation over the state’s previous 15-week ban, but a state judge appeared to agree with it during a hearing earlier this month. The six-week bill mainly makes exceptions to the ban for instances of rape and to protect the life of the mother.
The DeSantis campaign was quick to respond to Trump’s attacks Sunday morning.
Ron DeSantis has sought to portray himself as unapologetically anti-abortion.AP
“We’ve seen the disastrous results of Donald Trump’s compromise with Democrats: over $7 trillion in new debt, an unfinished border wall, and the prison-breaking First Steps Act that allows violent criminals to return to the streets,” communications director Andrew Romeo posted on social media.
“Republicans across the country know that Ron DeSantis will not back down.”
Trump famously appointed three justices to the Supreme Court during his term in office, all of whom voted in favor of overturning Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
States have begun implementing abortion restrictions now that Roe v. Wade was canceled.REUTERS
The issue of abortion galvanized Democratic voters in the 2022 midterms, leading — along with a poor performance by Trump-backed candidates — to a better-than-expected performance by President Biden’s party.
“It’s not my fault the Republicans didn’t live up to expectations in the Midterms,” Trump lamented at the Truth Social in January.
“It is the ‘abortion issue,’ which many Republicans, especially those who firmly insist on No Exceptions, even in the case of Rape, Incest or Maternal Life, have not dealt with well, which is losing a large number of Voters.”
Polls show that people generally want legal abortion access.AP
On abortion, Ron DeSantis declined to say whether he would sign a federal abortion ban.
He told Megyn Kelly that the state has “primary jurisdiction” over the matter.
He acknowledged that despite the federal interest, “the reality is that the country is divided on it.” https://t.co/eJnmh7lnc9 pic.twitter.com/m9b1zokHU2
— Lucky (@TheMagaHulk) September 17, 2023
With an eye on the general election, DeSantis has argued that the state should have “primary jurisdiction” over abortion and insists he wants to make promises he can keep.
To enact a strict national ban, Republicans would likely need to win 60 seats in the Senate and hold onto the House of Representatives — an unlikely prospect given the current polarized nature of politics.
“What will happen, this is a long-standing issue. And it’s a very polarizing issue,” Trump told NBC’s Kristin Welker on Sunday. “Because of what’s been done, and because of the fact that we’re bringing it back to the states, we’re going to ask people to come together on this issue.”
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