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

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter
Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, visits a polling site at Londonderry High School on primary day, on January 23, 2024, in Londonderry, New Hampshire. With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis having dropped out of the race two days earlier, Trump and fellow candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are battling it out in this first-in-the-nation primary.
Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump, visits a polling site at Londonderry High School on primary day, on January 23, 2024, in Londonderry, New Hampshire. With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis having dropped out of the race two days earlier, Trump and fellow candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are battling it out in this first-in-the-nation primary. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Major pro-life organizations have offered differing reactions to the recent report that former President Donald Trump privately expressed support for a 16-week national abortion ban.

According to a Friday report from The New York Times, two unnamed sources with ties to the Republican frontrunner alleged that the 2024 hopeful likes the idea of a 16-week abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest or life of the mother. The article states that Trump said in a private conversation that he likes 16 weeks as a cut-off because it's an "even" "four months." 

On Friday, The Washington Post reported that Trump's campaign said The Times story was "fake news." According to Trump's team, the 2024 presidential hopeful has not made a decision about whether he would support a national ban, and he has also stated he would not be "tied down" to a specific number of weeks.

"As President Trump has stated, he would sit down with both sides and negotiate a deal that everyone will be happy with," Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. She added that Trump "appointed strong Constitutionalist federal judges and Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the decision back to the states, which others have tried to do for over 50 years."

Although Trump received praise from pro-lifers during his term as his administration advanced pro-life policies, some of Trump's recent remarks about abortion have earned him condemnation from various pro-life organizations.

For example, the former president blamed the Republican Party's position on abortion for its losses during the 2022 midterm elections. He's also criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for signing a law banning abortions after the baby's heartbeat becomes detectable, calling it "too harsh." 

While it remains unclear what types of abortion-related legislation the former president would support if elected again, the recent New York Times report has generated attention from several pro-life groups.

The following pages highlight reactions from three major pro-life organizations to Trump allegedly expressing support for a 16-week abortion ban.

Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman

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