1 March 2024
(The Hill) – Former President Trump on Thursday said he hasn’t decided on a set number of weeks after which abortion should be banned after it was reported he privately has indicated he likes the idea of a 16-week ban.
“More and more I’m hearing about 15 weeks. I haven’t decided yet,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Former President Donald Trump addresses an audience during a campaign event, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023, in Wolfeboro, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
“Also, we got it back to the states where it belongs. A lot of states are taking very strong stances,” he added, citing Kansas and Ohio.
“The number 15 is mentioned. I haven’t agreed to any number. I’m going to see. We want to take an issue that was very polarizing and get it settled and solved so everybody can be happy,” Trump added.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that Trump has told advisers and allies that he favors a 16-week ban on abortion that includes exceptions for cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother. Democrats immediately seized on the report as evidence Trump would push for a national abortion ban if he wins reelection.
Trump, who is on track to be the GOP nominee in November, has over the past year repeatedly dodged questions when asked whether he would sign a national abortion ban if reelected, and he has attacked Democrats for being “radical” and supporting abortions deep into pregnancy. The former president has blamed Republicans’ messaging on abortion for their election struggles in the 2022 midterms.
At the same time, Trump has said he is responsible for terminating Roe v. Wade through his appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices.
The former president on Thursday also called an Alabama court ruling that frozen embryos are people, which cast uncertainty on access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, “very harsh.”
Trump said one of the people who reached out to him on the issue was Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), who is delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union and has been floated as a potential vice presidential pick.
“Katie Britt, a very wonderful young senator in Alabama…she said friends of mine were coming up and almost attacking her they were so upset about it,” Trump said.
“And I said what’s the issue, what is it, explain,” Trump continued. “And we’re talking about the IVF, and I said, ‘We want that. We want people to help. We’re on the side of women.’”
Trump voiced his support for protecting IVF in the wake of the Alabama ruling, and Republican lawmakers followed suit. But some GOP senators on Wednesday blocked an effort to pass legislation that would federally protect access to IVF.