Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 30, 2024 / 19:02 pm (CNA).
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said on Friday that he will vote “no” on a broad pro-abortion amendment set to appear on the ballot in Florida this November.
Earlier in the week Trump — who lives in Florida — was asked by an NBC reporter how he planned to vote on the amendment, which would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution. The state currently bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
Trump responded that he believed that the six-week law is “too short,” telling the reporter: “I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks.”
After facing significant backlash from the pro-life community for appearing to signal his support for the abortion amendment, Trump told Fox News on Friday that he would be voting against the measure.
He called the amendment “unacceptable” and accused Democrats of advocating abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
“The Democrats are radical because the nine months is just a ridiculous situation, where you can do an abortion in the ninth month,” Trump said.
“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.”
“So, I’ll be voting no for that reason,” the former president said.
Titled the Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion or simply Amendment 4, the measure would invalidate both Florida’s six-week and 15-week pro-life protections for the unborn, allowing abortion without restriction prior to the point of fetal viability outside the womb.
The amendment would further allow abortion through all nine months of pregnancy if determined by a health care provider to be necessary for the health of the mother.
The pro-life movement in Florida has mobilized significant efforts to defeat the amendment. Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski told CNA last week that the Florida bishops would be collectively investing more than $1 million to raise awareness about the dangers of the amendment and to urge voters to reject it at the ballot box.
A recent poll by Mainstreet Research and Florida Atlantic University found that 56% of Florida voters support the amendment, which is just shy of the 60% required to pass.
Some pro-life commentators celebrated Trump’s statement on Friday.
“To everyone who said pro-lifers should shut up about it, learn your lesson: THIS is why we raise a ruckus about the things that matter!” said conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey.
Lila Rose, president of the national pro-life group Live Action, a Catholic, and in recent weeks a vocal critic of some of Trump’s abortion statements, responded to the news by saying: “Thank you Donald Trump!”
“Please help the great people of Florida defeat this horrific amendment!” Rose wrote on X.
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On Friday I wrote, “Lila Rose, a staunch Catholic is too idealistic to expect anything less than Francis X Maier or Edward Feser to be a suitable prolife choice for president. It aint gonna happen honey”.
I fancy perhaps Lila read my comment and changed her mind in favor of the lesser of two evils, consequently the Thank you Donald Trump. We have a large spectrum of readers, but it’s an unlikely perhaps. Although I like to think what I write has value. The greater evil, the Dem party of deranged diversity, freedom to mutilate oneself and others by force, and death spells a tragic nightmare for a once great nation.
Back to the subject of writing, for some, more likely many it’s an entertainment to study an issue, engage in ideas and solutions, sometimes simply remarking on the aesthetic, spiritual excellence of an essay. Some respond to offer invaluable insight and knowledge. Many Catholic and others show deep interest in the things that matter as Charles Krauthammer used to say. Our beliefs, death and life convictions, however and to what degree we hold them are the center of real concern. Reality at its most purposeful. So I don’t think it’s too grandiose to think what we write and how it’s expressed has great potential for good.
I think Lila Rose was thanking Trump for changing his position on the Florida pro-abortion amendment, presumably (?) in response to objections to his previous stance from the likes of Rose herself.
I think that Pres Trump’s beautiful Catholic wife gave him an earful!
Knowing about some of Pres. Trump’s financial contributions to certain children’s and teens’ organizations, and the fact that he has five hard-working children of his own (and grandchildren), I think it’s obvious that he is definitely an advocate for children. IF there are times when he appears to be supporting pro-abortion policies, I think it’s because he hasn’t been fully informed of what awful consequences these policies will bring about–he’s not a career politician used to dealing with policy and law–he’s a businessman who has been used to letting his lawyers deal with this kind of stuff.
I think that the Democrats think they are denigrating Pres. Trump when they refer to him as a President who approved of the ending of Roe vs. Wade (which happened in large part because of the three Supreme Justices that he appointed). Joke’s on the Democrats!
Just remember–a vote for anyone other than Pres. Trump will be a vote for Harris/Wenz, who are both fanatical supporters of abortion and other abominable politics.
As an abortion abolitionist, I cannot vote for Harris or Trump. If my position is extreme, so is abortion.
We found in Texas that nothing changed until the late 90’s when we began holding RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) responsible. Democrats were almost universally pro-abortion. Republicans were more prone to lie about being pro-life for votes. By keeping a pro-life score on all in office, we highlighted how some Republicans betrayed behind closed doors the pro-life promises they made while campaigning. We followed that scorecard up by endorsing primary opponents to run against those we labeled RINOs. This strategy led to our first incremental legislative victory in 1999:
https://guides.sll.texas.gov/abortion-laws/history-of-abortion-laws
Imagine on the national level an abortion abolitionist block of voters that takes the long view, refusing to cooperate with any elected official that betrays pro-life voters behind closed doors after they get elected. Perhaps it will never work. It will never make us popular at the Country Club! But what does the national pro-life movement have to lose after decades of failure? Precious little has ever been accomplished in Washington, even when the White House and Congress were controlled by RINOs.
As for the RINO Trump, he would have betrayed pro-life as soon as he won in 2016 if pro-leaders on the inside had not been there every step of the way to hold him accountable. All we had for leverage was Trump’s obsession with winning a second term. Trump will betray everyone as soon as he thinks he can get what he wants without them. If you don’t believe me, ask anyone on Wall St., read the new Republican platform or reflect on Jan 6.