Former President Donald Trump is signaling to female voters that states will be lenient on abortion limits and described himself as the “father of IVF.”
Abortion has generated political headwinds for Mr. Trump since three of the justices he nominated to the Supreme Court helped overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, sending the issue to the states and feeding concerns about the future of IVF treatments. The 1973 Roe ruling established a national right to abortion.
Speaking at an all-women town hall in Georgia that aired Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “The Faulkner Focus,” Mr. Trump was pressed on why the government should have a say on how a woman handles a pregnancy.
Mr. Trump said he is happy that the states, not the federal government, are hammering out the issue. He noted that some states are adopting more liberal abortion laws and “some of them are not.”
“But it is going to be redone. It’s going to be redone,” Mr. Trump said regarding stricter limits. “You end up with a vote of the people, and some of them, I agree, they’re too tough, too tough, and those are going to be redone because there already is a movement in those states … to redo it.”
Mr. Trump didn’t identify the states, though voters in 10 states face ballot measures that would protect or expand access to abortion.
He added, “Remember this: This issue has torn this country apart for 52 years. So we got it back in the states. We have a vote of the people, and it’s working its way through the system, and ultimately, it’s going to be the right thing.”
The friendly crowd cheered Mr. Trump when he vowed to ban biological men from competing in women’s sports, increase the child tax credit and end sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants. He said he would give police officers immunity to combat crime and expand oil and gas drilling to help lower the cost of energy.
Mr. Trump has been trying to navigate the fallout from the overturning of Roe v. Wade and diffuse Democrats’ attempts to label him anti-choice.
He has taken credit for installing the Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe, a decision that social and religious conservatives wanted for years.
He also has embraced exceptions to abortion restrictions in cases involving rape or incest or to save the life of the mother. He has distanced himself from some of the stricter state abortion laws and become a rallying point for pro-choice advocates.
At the town hall, Mr. Trump called himself the “father of IVF.” He has promised universal, free access to in vitro fertilization treatment. Democrats say Mr. Trump can’t be trusted.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, has made abortion rights a central issue to energize the party’s base and young female voters and attract moderate-minded suburban Republican women in swing states who will determine the presidential election.
On Wednesday, Ms. Harris said Mr. Trump’s IVF remark was “quite bizarre,” given that overturning Roe put the fertility procedure at risk.
“He should take responsibility for the fact that 1 in 3 women in America lives in a Trump abortion ban state,” she told reporters. “Let’s not be distracted by his choice of words.
“The reality is his actions have been very harmful to women and families in America.”
Democrats hope Ms. Harris gets a boost from initiatives in Arizona and Nevada to enshrine abortion rights into law.
The polls show a wide gender gap. Mr. Trump is the favorite of male voters, while Ms. Harris leads among women.
Women, who comprise a larger share of the electorate than men, tend to be more aligned with Democrats on abortion rights and gun control.
Before Mr. Trump’s town hall, which was recorded Tuesday in Cumming, Georgia, the Democratic National Committee unveiled battleground state billboards attacking Mr. Trump on abortion.
The billboards feature a smiling Mr. Trump and read: “While Women Are Dying, Donald Trump Calls Abortion Bans ‘A Beautiful Thing.’”
The placards add, “Our Rights are on the Ballot, Vote Kamala.”
“Women are dying because of Donald Trump, who enabled the extreme abortion bans we’re seeing MAGA Republicans enact in the states — bans that Trump calls ‘a beautiful thing to watch,’” said Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Maddy Mundy.
Ms. Mundy said Ms. Harris is “the only candidate in this race committed to protecting and restoring women’s rights across the country.”
Mr. Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity this year that allowing states to decide abortion laws was a “beautiful thing.”
Gallup polling shows that 54% of Americans identify as pro-choice and 41% as pro-life.
Half of Americans say abortion should be legal only under some circumstances, 35% want no limits and 12% favor a full ban.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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