Pro-lifers react to Trump's reported support for 16-week abortion ban; campaign claims 'fake news'

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Students for Life of America 

In response to The New York Times report, Students for Life of America and Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins called on Trump to clarify the rumors surrounding the abortion policies he would support as president. 

"Rumor-based comments like this from reporters known to be abortion friendly are clearly designed to depress the pro-life vote and cause a political rift," Hawkins said in a statement shared with CP. "The Biden Administration, the National Democratic Party, and all those waiting in the wings to run for President refuse to name a single abortion they would limit." 

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

Subscribe

Hawkins criticized what she calls a lack of transparency from the Biden administration and the Democratic Party regarding what limits on abortion they support. 

She pointed to a 2024 SFLA YouGov poll that found less than one in 10 youth voters support the Democratic Party leader's position on abortion, which the pro-life group described as "abortion through all 9 months without limits, up to and including allowing infanticide — the death of a baby born during a botched abortion." 

"But we do want to hear from President Trump as there is a lot that can be done in his next administration — from appointments to administrative policies," Hawkins said. "To be clear, a limit on abortion at 4 months — 16 weeks — would allow for more than 9 in 10 abortions, reports the CDC, and will make no one happy."

"Not those who want to protect life in law, and not those whose entire agenda in 2024 is death by abortion at any cost," the SFLA President stated. "Mr. President, we ask you to stand for the needs of the innocent over the business interests of a billion-dollar abortion enterprise."

Hawkins was one of many pro-life leaders to respond to Trump's criticism of Florida's six-week abortion ban during an interview on "Meet the Press" in September 2023. In an X post at the time, Hawkins wrote that "protecting human life at 5 or 6 weeks isn't a 'terrible thing' ... it's the right thing."