Susan B. Anthony Professional-Life America, a outstanding anti-abortion political group, threatened on Thursday to marketing campaign towards Donald J. Trump until he endorsed a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks of being pregnant, a daring problem that uncovered the rift between the previous president and a few of his onetime allies.
The group’s assertion was a line within the sand for all conservative 2024 hopefuls. “We are going to oppose any presidential candidate who refuses to embrace at a minimal a 15-week nationwide commonplace to cease painful late-term abortions whereas permitting states to enact additional protections,” mentioned Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Professional-Life America.
Mr. Trump has been unwilling to wade into abortion battles after the Supreme Courtroom overturned Roe v. Wade final 12 months and ended federal protections, thanks largely to a majority of conservative justices he helped muscle by way of as president. Final 12 months, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina launched laws for a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks, an concept that cut up Republicans.
Democrats campaigned on abortion rights within the 2022 midterms, and Republicans had one other disappointing cycle. Mr. Trump blamed anti-abortion activists for Republican losses, saying they “might have fought a lot more durable.” Others have attributed the get together’s disappointing exhibiting to Mr. Trump’s insistence on making election fraud a prime problem for candidates.
Ms. Dannenfelser’s assertion on Thursday was a response to a Washington Publish article concerning the abortion problem through which Mr. Trump’s marketing campaign didn’t immediately handle whether or not he supported an abortion ban after six weeks of being pregnant, which was the restrict that Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who’s getting ready his personal Republican presidential bid, just lately signed into regulation within the state.
As an alternative, Mr. Trump’s marketing campaign issued a press release saying abortion “is a matter that needs to be determined on the state stage.”
Mr. Trump was principally muted concerning the ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade when it occurred. In an interview with The New York Instances final 12 months, Mr. Trump downplayed his central function in paving the best way for the choice’s reversal.
“I by no means prefer to take credit score for something,” mentioned Mr. Trump, whose title is affixed to most of his companies and properties.
The marketing campaign didn’t reply to a request for remark.
“President Trump’s assertion that the Supreme Courtroom returned the problem of abortion solely to the states is a very inaccurate studying of the Dobbs determination and is a morally indefensible place for a self-proclaimed pro-life presidential candidate to carry,” Ms. Dannenfelser mentioned in her assertion.
A Gallup survey final 12 months discovered that the share of People figuring out as “pro-choice” had jumped to 55 p.c after hovering between 45 p.c and 50 p.c for a decade. That sentiment was “the best Gallup has measured since 1995,” whereas the 39 p.c who recognized as “pro-life” was “the bottom since 1996,” the polling agency mentioned.
Supply: NY Times