Former President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he believes abortion regulation should be left to the states and in-vitro fertilization (IVF) should be available, according to a video statement posted on Truth Social.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, had indicated previously that he would publish his position on laws surrounding abortion procedures. On Monday, Trump published a video on Truth Social where he stated that he believed abortion laws should be made by states, a distinction from the proposal for a federal abortion limit that some Republicans have championed but Democrats have attacked. (RELATED: Donald Trump Says ‘You Have To Have’ Three Exceptions For Abortion)
“My view is…the states will determine by legislation or vote or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land. In this case, the law of the state. Many states will be different, many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be. At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people,” Trump said in the statement. “You must follow your heart or, in may cases, your religion or your faith. Do what’s right for your family and do what’s right for yourself…do what’s right for our country.”
At present, some states like Texas impose total bans on abortion within their states, with very limited exceptions, while others like Oregon do not have any restrictions based on gestational duration, according to U.S. News and World Report. Certain states have amended their state constitutions to preserve access to abortion, including by public referenda, such as California, Michigan and Vermont, according to Ballotpedia.
Trump also praised the availability of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other fertility treatments that some conservatives have opposed, with Alabama’s Supreme Court issuing a ruling on Feb. 19 that severely curtailed the practice. Trump praised the Alabama legislature’s quick effort to undo that decision.
“We want to make it easier for mothers and families to have babies, not harder. That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every state in America.”
Trump had previously expressed the position that abortion should be primarily regulated by the states, with his posture remaining unchanged from a statement in April 2023 that was criticized at the time by conservative groups.
“President Trump’s assertion that the Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion solely to the states is a completely inaccurate reading of the Dobbs decision and is a morally indefensible position for a self-proclaimed pro-life presidential candidate to hold,” wrote Marjorie Dannesfaler, the president of Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Pro-Life America, at the time. “Life is a matter of human rights, not states’ rights. Saying that the issue should only be decided at the states is an endorsement of abortion up until the moment of birth.”
Trump also took credit for the overruling of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, where it pronounced that there is no constitutional right to abortion. “I want to thank the six justices,” Trump noted.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about will of the people. That’s where we are, right now, and that’s what we want. The will of the people,” Trump said.
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