'States will determine': Donald Trump finally reveals stand on abortion rights | Here's what he said

Former United States President Donald Trump on Monday said abortion rights should be left up to the states in the country to decide. Trump revealed his stance on the divisive issue in a video uploaded on his social media platform, Truth Social.

The presumptive Republican candidate for the 2024 US Presidential Elections said that “…states will determine [abortion rights] by vote or legislation or perhaps both. Whatever they decide must be the law of the land, in this case, law of the state.”

Trump’s stand is likely to have disappointed anti-abortion groups that were hoping he would endorse a complete nation-wide ban on abortions in the US.

Attack on Democrats

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In the video, Trump gloated about being responsible for overturning the landmark Roe v Wade verdict that had assured the right to abortion in the US for half a century.

Trump, who is currently facing 91 felony counts and has been indicted in four criminal cases, hit out at the Democrats for their stand on abortion. “It must be remembered that the Democrats are the radical ones in this position because they support abortions up to and even beyond the ninth month,” he said.

It is crucial to note that Vice President Kamala Harris has already rubbished the Republican claims that Democrats support abortions up until birth. Speaking to CBS in September last year, she said that “the protections of Roe v. Wade” need to be put back in place. The ruling guaranteed abortion access up to the point of “viability,” which can be anytime between 20 to 24 weeks.

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Trump’s stand on IVF, abortion exceptions

Trump also commented on in vitro fertilisation (IVF). For context, IVF techniques involve discarding some embryos. Some anti-abortion advocates contend that life begins at conception. They argue that discarding an embryo is akin to killing a child.

IVF was halted in Alabama after a court ruled that embryos created using the technique have the same rights as children.

Trump, however, said that he “strongly” supports IVF access for couples who are trying to have a baby. He also said that when it comes to abortion, he is “strongly in favor of exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.”

Abortion remains one of the most contentious issues in the upcoming November elections. In the past, several Republican losses in off-year elections- even those in typically conservative states- have been linked to their stand on abortion.

With inputs from agencies