Former President Donald Trump provoked the ire of anti-abortion advocates when he referred to abortion as “reproductive rights,” prompting Republicans to criticize him for trying to sound like a Democrat on the issue.
According to Politico, Trump used the phrase in an Aug. 23 post on his Truth Social platform, which the outlet surmised was a reflection of the Trump campaign’s effort to find a new narrative on abortion as Vice President Kamala Harris continues to poll better than Trump.
Lila Rose, the founder of an anti-abortion group, Live Action, said on the Aug. 23 episode of her podcast that Trump was trying to ingratiate himself with those who are “pro-abortion.”
“Not only is it not principled, it’s not going to help the Trump campaign to be trying to sound like a Democrat right now,” Rose proclaimed.
Kristian Hawkins, the president of Students for Life Action, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Trump’s Truth Social post “understandably upset many within the pro-life movement.”
Phillip Klein, an editor at National Review, said on X that in the fight over abortion, it “increasingly looks like Trump is joining the other side.”
Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council and a social conservative, told The New York Times that Trump’s new position was risky for him and the Republican Party in general.
“My advice: When you’re in a hole, stop digging. This week made clear the D.N.C. has the corner on the abortion market. He is not only suppressing his own support, he is going to hurt the vast majority of Republican candidates who are 100 percent pro-life.”
The Trump campaign, however, hit back at those suggestions and claimed in a statement that his use of the term squared with his desire for robust reproductive rights.
“As President Trump has consistently stated, he supports the rights of individuals in their respective states to determine their laws on abortion. President Trump also strongly supports ensuring women have access to the care they need to create healthy families, including widespread access to IVF, birth control, and contraception, and he always will,” Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, said.
Trump has at times clashed with anti-abortion advocates, blaming them for the GOP’s mid-term losses in 2022, and refused to call for a nationwide abortion ban. Instead, he has repeatedly indicated that he wants to leave any decision on abortion up to individual states.
According to The New York Times, at the Democratic National Convention, Harris traced the issue of abortion directly back to the former president, saying, “I believe America cannot truly be prosperous unless Americans are fully able to make their own decisions about their own lives, especially on matters of heart and home,” Vice President Harris said. “But tonight, in America, too many women are not able to make those decisions. And let’s be clear about how we got here. Donald Trump handpicked members of the United States Supreme Court to take away reproductive freedom. And now he brags about it. This is what is happening in our country because of Donald Trump. And understand, he is not done.”
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