Trump: It’s up to states to monitor pregnancies and process abortions

Former President Trump, in a new interview, suggested that states with restrictive abortion bans could monitor women’s pregnancies and should be left to decide whether to prosecute women for having the procedure.

Trump sat down for an interview earlier this month with Time magazine about his plans for a possible second term. When asked about various abortion policies and how he would handle them if he were elected in November, Trump repeatedly said they should be left up to each state to decide.

“I think they can do it. Again, you’re going to have to talk to each state,” Trump told Time about the states that monitor women’s pregnancies.

When asked whether he would be comfortable with “states prosecuting women for having abortions beyond the point that the laws allow,” Trump told the outlet, “It’s irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not. It is completely irrelevant, because it will be the states that make these decisions.

“And by the way, Texas will be different than Ohio,” he said. “And Ohio will be different than Michigan. I see what’s happening.”

The outlet reported that Trump has refused to commit to vetoing any federal abortion ban if it reaches his desk.

“I don’t have to do anything about the vetoes because now we have them back in the states,” Trump told Time.

Abortion is a major issue ahead of the 2024 election and a significant vulnerability for Trump. The former president has repeatedly taken credit for the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Wade because he appointed three conservative judges.

However, abortion has boosted Democratic turnout in elections since the 2022 ruling, helping the party win the Kentucky governor’s mansion, the Virginia state legislature and other key races.

President Biden and his campaign have consistently sounded the alarm that a second Trump term would lead to nationwide restrictions on abortion access, something Biden has pledged to protect if re-elected.

Trump, in an effort to sidestep the issue, has taken the position that abortion policy should be left to the discretion of states through legislation or voter referenda, as GOP-led states enact restrictive policies. But it also provoked attacks, including from some on the right who expressed disappointment that the former president was not adopting a federal minimum standard for abortion.