\n<\/p>\n
This week, one Floridian\u2014Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump<\/strong>\u2014weighed in<\/a> on how he might vote on the state\u2019s abortion access ballot initiative come November.<\/p>\n Florida\u2019s near-total abortion ban went into effect at the beginning of May. The state, helmed by Governor Ron DeSantis<\/strong>, had replaced the 15-week ban with a six-week one, eliminating access before many people even know they\u2019re pregnant.<\/p>\n Now, a 2024 ballot measure<\/a> is hoping to safeguard abortion access until about 24 weeks, or later if a medical professional deems the procedure necessary to save a patient\u2019s life.<\/p>\n The current ban, Trump said in an interview<\/a> with NBC News on Thursday, is \u201ctoo short.\u201d When pressed on how he plans to vote on the ballot initiative, he responded, \u201cI am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks.” “It has to be more time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The conservative backlash was swift.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Donald Trump loses, today is the day he lost,\u201d conservative commentator Erick Erickson<\/strong> posted<\/a> to X, formerly Twitter. \u201cThe committed pro-life community could turn a blind eye, in part, to national abortion issues. But for Trump to weigh in on Florida as he did will be a bridge too far for too many.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTrump had better count the cost of abandoning pro-life voters\u2014quickly. That cost is going to be very high,\u201d Albert Mohler<\/strong>, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote<\/a> on social media. \u201cPro-life Christian voters are going to have to think clearly, honestly, and soberly about our challenge in this election\u2014starting at the top of the ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n Lila Rose<\/strong>, who heads the prominent anti-abortion group Live Action, shared that she would \u201clove to see him stop saying this nonsense about supporting abortion,” in a Politico piece<\/a> published Thursday. “But unfortunately, that\u2019s not the case.\u201d \u201cPerhaps,\u201d she said, \u201che personally lacks principle on this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n Just one day after the first interview with NBC, Trump said he actually wouldn\u2019t be voting for the Florida measure.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think six weeks, you need more time than six weeks. I\u2019ve disagreed with that right from the early primaries when I heard about it, I disagreed with it,\u201d Trump told<\/a> Fox News. \u201cAt the same time, the Democrats are radical, because the nine months is just a ridiculous situation where you can do an abortion in the ninth month. … So I\u2019ll be voting no for that reason,\u201d he continued, echoing a common abortion myth.<\/p>\n In 2021, according<\/a> to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 93 percent of abortions occurred during the first trimester. Only about 1 percent were performed at 21 weeks\u2014about five months\u2014or more of gestation. These terminations often occur due to lack of health insurance or health complications for the pregnant person or the fetus.<\/p>\n This day-to-day messaging on how states ought to handle who gets to have an abortion and when is just the latest strategy<\/a> in Trump\u2019s retelling<\/a> of how he<\/a>, and his administration, have decimated<\/a> access to reproductive healthcare across the country. For three presidential campaigns<\/a>, Trump has morphed his rhetoric around abortion to best serve his needs. During this latest run for office, Trump has been doubling down on how his stance has always been anchored in states\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople forget, fighting Roe v. Wade was, right from the beginning, all about bringing the Issue back to the States,\u201d Trump posted<\/a> to Truth Social in April. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t about anything else,\u201d he continued, \u201cWe had a Great Victory, it\u2019s back in the States where it belongs, and where everyone wanted it. The States will be making the decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n