Donald Trump has been trying to win over skeptical voters about his views—especially women—especially since he nominated three Supreme Court justices two years ago who contributed to overturning the national right to abortion. The most recent example of his changing positions came this week when the Republican presidential candidate said that some abortion laws are 'too harsh' and that they would be 'redone.'
'They are going to be redone,' he stated during a public debate on Fox News broadcast on Wednesday, expressing this decision after having criticized the law for being too harsh. Trump has oscillated between boasting about having nominated the judges who contributed to overturning federal abortion protection and trying to appear more neutral: 'States are going to have to feel comfortable or uncomfortable, not me.'
Democrats have taken advantage of comments made by Trump in 2016, when he said that 'there has to be some kind of punishment' for women who have abortions. Furthermore, Trump refused to comment on access to the abortion pill mifepristone, claiming that he has 'pretty firm opinions' on the matter.
Donald Trump has struggled to find a coherent message regarding abortion and reproductive rights, constantly changing positions or offering vague, contradictory, and sometimes nonsensical responses. Voters in seven states, including some conservative ones, have protected the right to abortion or rejected attempts to restrict it in state votes over the past two years.
Trump has claimed that he returned the issue of abortion rights to the states, despite voters having no direct voice on this issue in about half of the states. Regarding his stance on abortion, he has shifted from being pro-abortion to supporting a ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Trump's changing positions on abortion have been notable since he showed interest in running for office. Over the years, he has expressed different opinions, from being 'very pro-abortion' to supporting a ban. In his first year of presidency, he declared himself 'anti-abortion with exceptions' and suggested that there should be some kind of punishment for women who want to have an abortion, a position from which he quickly retracted.
Regarding his current position, Trump mentioned that states will decide whether to prosecute women for having abortions and has also hinted that he would support a national abortion ban after about 15 weeks of pregnancy before announcing that he would leave the matter in the hands of the states.
In summary, Donald Trump has struggled to maintain a clear and coherent stance on abortion and reproductive rights, oscillating between different statements and changes of opinion over the years.
