Conservative groups backing former president Donald Trump in his re-election bid say they are "deeply disappointed" with his official position on abortion unveiled Monday, but it won't deter their support in November.
The former president and presumptive GOP nominee in a video posted on Truth Social Monday morning said he cemented his position on the controversial issue, saying that abortion access should be a states’ issue and didn’t endorse a national, federal limitation — like a 15-week ban.
Pro-life interest groups who have endorsed Trump expressed disappointment at his announcement, but it appears unlikely to sway their support in consideration of Trump’s overall stance compared to Biden’s extreme abortion policy.
"The reality of a stark choice between President Biden who supports abortion: any number, any reason, up until birth, all paid for by the taxpayer and President Trump: who gave us three Constitutionalist justices, 220 lower court judges, appointees who support life and the overturn of Roe v. Wade has my endorsement and support in November for President," said Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America (CWA), who said she "favors federal limits on abortion."
TRUMP SAYS ABORTION SHOULD BE DECIDED BY THE STATES, 'WILL OF THE PEOPLE'
Trump explicitly affirmed his support for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and emphasized his support for states determining their own laws for abortion so long as there are exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother.
"The Republican Party should always be on the side of the miracle of life and the side of mothers, fathers and their beautiful babies. IVF is an important part of that," Trump said.
"The states will determine by vote, or legislation, or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land — in this case, the law of the state," Trump said. Many states will be different. Many states will have a different number of weeks… at the end of the day it is all about the will of the people."
Trump reiterated that he was proud of the role he played in overturning Roe v. Wade, saying legal scholars on "both sides" had been in favor of the move.
Which is true— even late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg said of the ruling that "doctrinal limbs too swiftly shaped, experience teaches, may prove unstable."
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said while they are "deeply disappointed" in Trump’s position, the group will "work tirelessly to defeat President Biden and extreme congressional Democrats."
"Unborn children and their mothers deserve national protections and national advocacy from the brutality of the abortion industry," she said. "The Dobbs decision clearly allows both states and Congress to act."
She added that "saying the issue is ‘back to the states’ cedes the national debate to the Democrats who are working relentlessly to enact legislation mandating abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. If successful, they will wipe out states’ rights."
Since the Dobbs decision, factions in both parties in Congress have pushed legislation to address abortion. Some in the GOP camp seeking a 15-week limitation, and some Democrats on the other side of the aisle wishing to "codify" Roe v. Wade with virtually limitless abortion access nationwide.
Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, said "there remains an urgent need to advocate for the unborn at the federal level."
She noted that Democrats recently tried to enact federal legislation like "the deceptively titled Women's Health Protection Act which would cancel every states’ ability to limit abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, and erases existing pro-life protections for vulnerable women and children nationwide."
Trump's position aligns with what more libertarian-leaning groups have endorsed in favor of federalism following the fall of Roe.
Jeffrey Miron, vice president of research at the Cato Institute, wrote in July of 2022 that "under the Libertarian Land approach, each state chooses its own policies, which allows for variety and experimentation; more importantly, it avoids the coercion implicit in a federal approach. Everyone can try to influence policy in their own state, or move."
"A key aspect of federalism is that its policy implications align imperfectly with both liberal and conservative views. Thus both perspectives will be unhappy, but with more freedom to choose their preferred combination of policies," Miron wrote.
"That is the best way to accommodate the inevitable differences in views on these and other difficult issues," he said.
Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, said that "while federal legislation on abortion policy is challenging at present, we are confident that a Trump administration will be staffed with pro-life personnel committed to pro-life policies, including conscience rights, limits on taxpayer funding of abortion, and protections for pro-life states."
MAJOR PRO-LIFE GROUP LAYS OUT AGGRESSIVE PLANS FOR 2024 ELECTIONS: 'LARGEST GROUND GAME YET'
"President Trump’s latest statement also reflects the electoral minefield created by Democrat abortion fanaticism. The fact remains that pro-life voters need to win elections to protect mothers and children," he said.
"Democrats are now preparing a billion-dollar election year barrage with radical abortion as its centerpiece. While Trump did not commit to any specific pro-life policies, he notably will not stand in the way of states that have acted to protect innocent children from the violent abortion industry," he added.
"[N]o woman should face an unexpected pregnancy alone. We believe a new whole government approach encouraging and supporting pregnant women to keep their children can be advanced under a new Trump administration," he said.
"The contrast between Joe Biden and the Democrats and President Trump is unmistakable. Pro-life voters have only one option in November."
