2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump declared Friday his intent to vote “no” on Florida’s pro-abortion amendment, which is set to appear on the ballot in November, Fox News reported.
The proposed Florida Amendment 4 would exempt abortions “before viability or when necessary” from any legal restrictions. Following comments on Thursday to NBC News on the amendment which raised the concerns of pro-life advocates, Trump told Fox News on Friday he will vote against the amendment as he denounced late-term abortion and infanticide.
“The Democrats are radical because the nine months is just a ridiculous situation, where you can do an abortion in the nine month,” Trump told Fox News.
“And, you know, some of the states like Minnesota and other states have it where you could actually execute the baby after birth and all of that stuff is unacceptable,” Trump continued.
The Florida Supreme Court upheld in April that abortion is not a protected right and allowed a six-week abortion ban to take effect.
Trump had suggested Thursday to NBC News that Florida’s six-week abortion ban should take effect weeks later as he appeared to reveal his stance on the amendment.
“You overturned Roe, and you want abortion to be a states’ rights issue. In Florida, the state that you are a resident of, there’s an abortion-related amendment on the ballot to overturn the six week ban in Florida. How are you going to vote on that?” the NBC News reporter asked.
“I think that six weeks is too short. There has to be more time. And so, that’s, and I’ve told them that I want more weeks,” Trump said.
“So, you’ll vote in favor of the amendment?” the NBC News reporter questioned.
“I’m voting, that I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks. Look, just so you understand, everybody wanted Roe v. Wade terminated for years, 52 years. I got it done. They wanted to go back to the states. Exceptions are very important for me, for Ronald Reagan, for others that have navigated this very, very interesting and difficult path,” Trump responded.
“I think the six week is too short, there has to be more time,” former President Trump says how he’ll vote on an abortion rights amendment in Florida. pic.twitter.com/rQAdPtW9i0
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) August 29, 2024
Trump’s response prompted an intense reaction from pro-life activists who had benefitted from the former president’s judicial nominations.
My personal message to the Trump campaign on abortion: pic.twitter.com/TrjQI2BQqE
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) August 28, 2024
Statement on President Trump’s Florida Comment
“I spoke with President Trump this evening. He has not committed to how he will vote on Amendment 4.” — SBA President @MarjorieSBA
Read more ⬇️
— SBA Pro-Life America (@sbaprolife) August 29, 2024
Trump also revealed during the same NBC interview he will make the government pay for or mandate that insurance companies cover the cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF) if he wins a second term. (RELATED: Video Shows Police Take Down Man Allegedly Attempting To Breach Trump Rally’s Media Area)
“We need great children, beautiful children in our country. We actually need them,” Trump said. “We are going to be, under a Trump administration, we are going to be paying for the treatment. So, we are paying for that treatment.”
Former President Trump tells NBC News that if he’s re-elected, his administration would not only protect access to IVF, but would have either the government or insurance companies cover the cost of it.
More: https://t.co/AzV45GBhFd pic.twitter.com/rZZdejDGXX
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 29, 2024
Trump made clear his stance on abortion in March, saying that “you have to have exceptions” for cases of rape, incest and endangerment of the life of the mother. Throughout his campaign, the former president repeatedly emphasized abortion is a states’ rights issue following the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Trump also weighed in on another proposed amendment Florida residents will vote on regarding marijuana legalization. In a Truth Social post on Saturday, he urged the state legislature “to responsibly create laws” and that the process “should be done correctly.”