Lindsey Graham says Donald Trump is making 'a mistake' on abortion, vows to push forward with nationwide restrictions
The South Carolina Republican said the GOP presidential nominee is wrong to say the issue should be left to states, pressing his case that there should be some federal limits.
WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham sparred with Donald Trump on Monday after the former president attacked Graham, R-S.C., for pushing his bill to outlaw abortion across the U.S. after 15 weeks of pregnancy. While Trump said the issue should be left to states, Graham vowed to keep pressing for federal limits.
“I think we should draw a line,” Graham told reporters. “We know that the Dobbs decision did not say that there’s no federal role. There are three laws on the books at the federal level. So the idea that Dobbs prevents the federal government from acting, I think, is an error. The idea of the Republican Party abandoning the opposition to late-term abortion, I think, would be a mistake, because most Americans oppose late-term abortion.”
“For the pro-life movement, it’s about the child, not geography. So if you’re turning the pro-life movement into a geographical movement, I think you’re making a mistake,” he added. “A child at 15 weeks sucks his thumb, feels pain in California and New York as much as South Carolina.”
Graham's comments came after Trump released a video statement earlier Monday boasting about Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, while also saying the issue should be left to states. It was a reversal after Trump had endorsed federal restrictions, and the blowback that came immediately from abortion foes indicated how divided the GOP is over how to manage the thorny politics of the issue. Trump, notably, didn't rule out signing federal limits if Congress were to pass them.
“We are deeply disappointed in President Trump’s position," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America, a prominent anti-abortion-rights advocacy group. She added, “Saying the issue is ‘back to the states’ cedes the national debate to the Democrats who are working relentlessly to enact legislation mandating abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. If successful, they will wipe out states’ rights.”
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