Does Trump really want a national abortion ban? 3 things he has actually said on the issues

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Sunday, November 03, 2024

Abortion pills by mail

Multiple pro-life leaders have expressed disappointment with Trump's approach to abortion throughout the 2024 presidential election cycle.

In addition to promising that he would not seek to enact a national abortion ban, Trump has said he would not enforce a law that bans mail distribution of abortion pills. 

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Many pro-life advocates have raised concerns that mail-order abortion pills could endanger women's lives. For example, a woman may take the drugs without first ruling out the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy, which pro-life doctors assert puts their health at risk. 

When asked during an August CBS News interview if chemical abortion pills should be "widely available," Trump replied, "It's going to be available," adding, "It is now."

He also answered questions about whether his administration would enforce the Comstock Act, an 1873 law that reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns said could "prohibit the … distribution of medication abortion by mail."

"No," Trump responded. "We will be discussing specifics of it but generally speaking, no."

Students for Life of America and Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins told Politico at the time that it is not possible to "ignore the rule of law and pick and choose the laws that we want to enforce."

"Isn't everybody's criticism of the Department of Justice their selective enforcement? So this would be the selective un-enforcement of a law that says these are dangerous drugs and should not be mailed. It's very problematic for a party that respects the law," she said. 

Lila Rose, founder and president of the pro-life group Live Action, also took issue with Trump's comments, stating at the time: "It seems like Trump doesn't care about the pro-life base anymore."

"When Trump is compromising, it's deeply discouraging to pro-life and pro-family voters, and I think he's putting his own election in jeopardy," she warned. "Quite frankly, this is a losing strategy."

During the interview, the Republican nominee maintained that "the federal government should have nothing to do with this issue," referring to the legality of abortion. Tony Perkins, the president of the Christian conservative activist organization Family Research Council, condemned Trump's view.

"It is not a pro-life position, it's not an acceptable position, and it does not provide the contrast on this issue to the degree that we have had in the past between him and Kamala Harris," Perkins told Politico.