Former President Donald Trump suggested that if elected, Vice President Kamala Harris’ administration would move to allow abortions in the “ninth month” and “after birth” during Tuesday’s heated presidential debate.
Trump, 78, explained that his decision to vote against a Florida ballot measure that would overturn the state’s six-week abortion ban was based on Harris’ and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz’s “radical” positions on the issue.
“They have abortion in the ninth month,” the GOP nominee for president said of the Democratic presidential ticket’s stance on abortion.
“They’re radical. The Democrats are radical in that,” Trump argued. “And her vice presidential pick [Walz], which I think is a horrible pick by the way … says abortion in the ninth month is absolutely fine.
“He also says execution after birth — no longer abortion because the baby is born — is OK,” he claimed. “And that’s not OK with me, hence the vote.”
The issue of abortion has become a top issue during the election following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe V. Wade — which declared women have a constitutional right to have an abortion — in 2022.
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Since the ruling, 14 red states have enacted near-complete bans on abortion at all stages of pregnancy and three others banned it after six weeks of pregnancy — which is before most women know they’re pregnant.
“Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the Supreme Court with the intention that they would overturn Roe V. Wade,” Harris said of Trump’s high-court appointments.
“Trump abortion bans make no exception, even for rape and incest,” she charged before suggesting that the former president would go further if he wins a second term.
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“Understand, if Donald Trump were to be re-elected, he will sign a national abortion ban,” she claimed.
To which Trump fired back, “It’s a lie. I’m not signing a ban.
“There’s no reason to sign a ban because we’ve gotten what everybody wanted,” he continued, signaling that he’s content leaving it up to state’s to make abortion laws.
Harris has emerged as one of the Democratic party’s leading voices advocating for women’s right to be able to choose to have an abortion — even before she became the party’s candidate.
She has called on Congress to pass a federal law to ensure abortion access country-wide and promised to block any federal abortion bans that a GOP-controlled Congress could float.
Trump, on the other hand, has said the decision on whether abortion should be legal should be up to individual states — as should whether to prosecute the women and their doctors.
He has previously said he would not sign a national abortion ban into law and would not seek to block access to abortion pills.
Trump said last month that abortions should be allowed longer than at just six weeks but claimed Democrats want to allow abortions up to the moment before birth. Democrats have denied this.
Harris refused to say Tuesday whether she’d back any restrictions on abortion access.
“I absolutely support reinstating the protections of Roe v. Wade,” Harris responded when asked by the moderator.
“Nowhere in America is a woman carrying a pregnancy to term and asking for an abortion — that is not happening,” she added, rebutting Trump’s claim earlier in the exchange.
Trump then asked Harris whether she would allow abortions in the eighth and ninth months of pregnancy. She did not answer that question.
With Post wires
