Abortion rights have continued to be an incendiary issue in the USA’s 2024 presidential elections – particularly since the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade decision in 2022.
Donald Trump has declared that decisions about abortion rights should be left to the states.
Many in the Republican Party hoped he would support a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
But Trump said policies should be set by individual states.
With several states moving to tighten restrictions, voters have thrown their support behind abortion rights in swing states like Michigan and even in deep-red states like Kentucky.
Trump declared: „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.”
Trump also said he was „proudly the person responsible” for the change brought about by the US Supreme Court two years ago, when it overturned the longstanding Roe v Wade decision that a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy was protected by the US constitution.
In 2016, Trump campaigned on appointing justices who would overturn Roe v Wade – and went on to put three conservatives on the court during his presidency.
Trump added that he was in favour of exceptions when rape or incest were involved, or the life of the mother was in danger.
He also reiterated that he was in favour of fertility treatments including in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), a reference to a recent Alabama court ruling that opened a new front in the battle over reproductive rights.
Trump, who is all but certain to be the Republican presidential candidate, acknowledged that the abortion issue has caused major problems for his party in elections held since 2022.
Voters angry at the Supreme Court decision have showed up at the polls to support Democratic candidates, as well as ballot measures intended to preserve access to abortion, says the BBC.
President Biden – has made universal access to abortion a central campaign issue and pledged that he will work to create a federal law based on the Roe decision – who alleged that Mr Trump would sign off on a federal abortion ban proposed by congressional Republicans if he returned to the White House.
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