How Democrats Will Fight Trump’s Abortion Strategy

What’s happening: Donald Trump last week announced his official abortion stance: deferring to individual states regarding legislation. He further stated he would not sign any national abortion ban.

• Context: As president, Trump appointed Supreme Court justices who would later rule against a constitutional right to abortion.

Defeats: Despite new opportunities for pro-life laws, voters in several states are not interested in enacting them.

• In Alabama, a Democrat running on abortion access won a state legislature seat held for two decades by a Republican. The election could be a bellwether for candidates protecting “reproductive rights,” especially in light of Alabama’s Supreme Court ruling against IVF procedures.

• In Arizona, the state Supreme Court ruled that an 1864 near-total abortion ban could be enforced; both Democrats and Republicans in the state consider it too restrictive.

• In Florida, despite the Florida Supreme Court upholding a six-week abortion ban, it doesn’t fly with 57 percent of Sunshine State voters who support abortion until fetal viability at 24 weeks.

Democrat response: Pro-abortion Democrats believe the American people side with them. President Biden launched a multi-million dollar abortion ad buy in Arizona and seems intent on making the topic a central campaign focus.

Why it matters: By washing his hands of the issue and relegating it to states, Donald Trump aims to ward off Democrat attacks. However, Biden and Democrats will simply lump Trump in with Republicans seeking harsher abortion restrictions.

• For example: Biden told an audience at a fundraiser that “No one trusts Donald Trump,” claiming Trump would sign a national abortion ban.