Where Trump and Harris Stand on Abortion

Abortion is also a critical issue for voters in the 2024 election, according to an August poll by The Economist and YouGov, three out of four voters say it's important or very important to them. Abortion was a key issue as well during this week's presidential debate, but the nominees didn't delve into specifics, particularly for Vice President Kamala Harris, who's new to the race. Little has been outlined about her exact policy positions when it comes to abortion. Trump, likewise, has at times been ambiguous. In a new report, The Epoch Times reviewed the presidential candidates' positions on the matter. To explain where they stand is the author of the report, political reporter Lawrence Wilson. Lawrence, how are you doing today? Very well, thank you. So starting with former President Trump, how has his position on abortion evolved over the years? And more importantly, where does he stand now? Well, Trump began as a pro-choice person before he was a candidate. He, back in the 90s, had made statements publicly that he was pro-choice and put that out there. But as around 2011, he started calling himself pro-life. What happened in between? We don't know. But he shifted his position in a major way some years ago. He still calls himself the most pro-life president ever. But as you noted, some of his positions have changed a little bit. Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, thanks to his three Supreme Court nominees, he says abortion should be left to the states. Let the states decide. He does not want it to be a federal matter. And that's a concern to some pro-lifers. And now, Harris, where does she stand on the issue and how is it different from Trump's position? Well, it's mostly different, but there are a couple of similarities. Harris is pro-choice. She's very much campaigning on abortion rights. She says if there's a bill to restore the rights of Roe v. Wade, she'll sign it in a hot second. That's not real likely to happen. She supports the distribution by mail of mifepristone, which is the abortion-inducing drug. But there are some question marks about what she believes. The one thing they do agree on, at least Trump says they agree, is IVF or in vitro fertilization. That's a controversial procedure because it allows for some fertilized eggs to be discarded outside the womb. But Trump says he supports it and even wants to see federal funding for it. Harris accuses him of not supporting it, but that's not what he's saying. Can you also speak on what legislative action does Harris support to restore abortion access at the federal level? Well, it's pretty interesting. Her statement is if Congress passes a bill to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade, I will sign it. That's a little bit different than saying I'm going to campaign for that. But certainly she is in favor of a national right to abortion. She hasn't talked a lot about it, but we can assume that she will want to see funding at the federal level for abortion, for example, for members of the U.S. military and so on. And she's very pro-choice, but she's not making the national abortion law a campaign issue just that I support abortion rights. I'm wondering, has she outlined any or what the limits would be on abortion access at the federal level? Well, she really doesn't talk much about that. And when pressed, she kind of dodges it. Trump has pressed her and he did in the debate about late-term abortion, and she wouldn't respond to that even, let alone answer it. The only clue that we have, I think, is that many of the states that are passing more liberalized abortion-related laws or referendums have no limits to them virtually. They're making it a constitutional right to reproductive choices. So that makes it enshrined as a right up there with what we think of at the federal level as the Bill of Rights. These are things that can't be questioned or abridged. So if she is in line with those state laws being passed, we'd have to assume she's for a very expansive allowance of abortion. What about Trump's stance on late-term abortion? And is it different from Harris's? Well, Trump opposes late-term abortion. He would like to see a limit on abortion at a certain number of weeks. He has not so far said what he thinks that limit should be, but he doesn't want abortion later in pregnancy for sure. Harris is very ambiguous on that. She simply won't talk about late-term abortion. And what about their stance on the abortion bill? Well, Harris is in favor of it. She would want to see it available by mail for people across the country. Trump is not strongly opposed to that. He wants to see abortion left up in the state. He's going to be hands-off on questions like that. And both Trump and Harris have faced criticism within their respective parties for their stances. Tell us more about this and whether it's having an impact on their positions. For Trump, his strong support among the pro-life community has been dinged a little bit because he has moderated his position a little, says he wants everything left up to the state, seems comfortable with some things that they're not comfortable with, such as in vitro fertilization. But you know, the pro-life advocates that I've spoken to, I say it's kind of like you have to dance with who brung you. I think Trump is the pro-life candidate that they have. And they believe that they can work with the status quo, working for limits on abortion at the state level. And they believe that Trump is still their advocate. For Harris, it's more like some abortion advocates feel like she's not articulating enough what she will do for pregnant women, for people in crisis pregnancy, what she'll do about funding, excuse me, and so on. She's just not saying enough about it to satisfy them. So some people are upset on both sides, but not really to the point it's affecting the campaigns or how they're talking about it. And just quickly, how are voters feeling about each candidate and their positions? Well, overall, if you're pro-life, you're likely favoring Trump because he's the one that would come closest to your position. People who are pro-choice are favoring Harris. This is a big issue in the election. It is not as big an issue as the economy. And that's where we're seeing the real interest and the real animation among voters this time around. All right, Lawrence, thank you very much for your time today. My pleasure.