Trump Is Fine With States Monitoring Pregnant Women So They Don't Get Abortions

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said states with abortion bans should be free to monitor pregnant women to make sure they dont terminate their pregnancies, suggesting that would be in line with his newfound position of leaving abortion rights up to the states.

I think they might do that, Trump said in a Time magazine interview  published Tuesday, when asked if he thinks states with abortion bans should track women who are pregnant.

Again, youll have to speak to the individual states, he said. Look, Roe v. Wade was all about bringing it back to the states.

After months of giving mixed messages on abortion rights, Trump declared a few weeks ago that his position is that its up to states to decide their own laws.

But his position has long  been  that he opposes abortion rights.

He campaigned in 2016 on nominating conservative Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade. That is exactly what happened , and the three justices he put on the court were the driving force behind a ruling that removed the countrys 50-year constitutional right to abortion.

Trumps positioning now, by putting the onus on state governments, aims to absolve him of any responsibility for restrictions that GOP-led states are currently placing on abortion. Reproductive rights are going to be a huge issue in the November elections, and Trump is trying to appear neutral on a topic hes never been neutral on.

But the problem hes created for himself  and for Republicans following his lead is that by saying he supports states doing whatever they choose, he is implicitly accepting whatever restrictions they may impose, including steps as extreme as monitoring pregnant women to stop them from having abortions.

In his Time interview, Trump, who is facing 88 felony charges in four criminal trials, repeatedly declined to answer questions about whether he is comfortable with states punishing women who get illegal abortions in states where the procedure has been severely restricted or banned. Fifteen states currently have near-total abortion bans .

I dont have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, he said. The states are going to make that decision. The states are going to have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, not me.

Pressed on how he feels about the prospect of women being prosecuted for having abortions in states with bans, the twice-impeached former president said it doesnt matter what he thinks.

Its irrelevant whether Im comfortable or not, said Trump. Its totally irrelevant, because the states are going to make those decisions.

Elsewhere in the interview, Trump said he wouldnt have to do anything about vetoes if Congress were to pass a national abortion ban. He also said he has an opinion on GOP efforts to ban abortion medication, but Im not going to explain. He hinted he may have an opinion in the next two weeks.

President Joe Biden s campaign manager, Julie Chvez Rodriguez, said Trumps latest comments leave little doubt about what his presidency would mean for Americans.

If elected hell sign a national abortion ban, allow women who have an abortion to be prosecuted and punished, allow the government to invade womens privacy to monitor their pregnancies, and put IVF and contraception in jeopardy nationwide, Rodriguez said in a statement.

Novembers election will determine whether women in the United States have reproductive freedom, or whether Trumps new government will continue its assault to control womens health care decisions, she said. With the voters on their side this November, President Biden and Vice President Harris will put an end to this chaos and ensure Americans fundamental freedoms are protected.