Currently, Florida bans abortions for anyone who is past the 15-week mark of pregnancy, but according to NBC's "Meet the Press,” Florida Governor Ron Desantis is "willing to sign a five-week and six-week ban." After the interview, former president and front-runner in the GOP presidential primary Donald Trump criticized Florida Governor Ron Desantis saying that this is "a terrible thing and a terrible mistake."
According to the Washington Post, this new six-week ban that Desantis is willing to approve excludes situations for "rape, incest, medical emergencies and 'fatal fetal abnormalities'." Though these situations would be exceptions, in reality, women don't find out if they're pregnant or not by the six-week mark. If they do, making the decision to abort a baby can be detrimental to a woman or couple's mental health and can't be made in a couple weeks or days. A fetus is viable at 24 weeks and at this point abortions are extremely rare unless the mother is in danger or that it's known the fetus won't survive once it has been delivered.
Trump has declined to mention or give his opinion on when an abortion ban is appropriate but according to the New York Times he said he'd negotiate with both sides and "end up with peace on [this] issue for the first time in 52 years."
This past spring, Desantis approved and signed the six-week ban in Florida this past spring. Even some Republicans who are usually pro-life are starting to worry that DeSantis has gone too far on this issue.
Before Roe v. Wade was overturned it was the federal government's decision about when abortions should and shouldn't be legal. Thus, abortions were legal everywhere in America. After the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, it became a decision at the state level meaning any state could ban or put restrictions on abortions.
Personally, I think having access to abortions is a human right. As we have learned in class, the 14th Amendment in the Constitution provides every citizen with the right to life, liberty, or property as well as equal protection of the laws. Therefore, up until the baby is viable, a living human, and can survive on its own should be able to be aborted if a woman or couple chooses to do so. It is her body, her choice. The federal or state government shouldn't be able to control what a woman chooses to do to her body.
- Carissa H.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/17/us/politics/trump-meet-the-press-abortion-desantis.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/17/politics/donald-trump-abortion-2024/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/09/17/trump-abortion/
9 comments:
Kind of tangential but even with the exceptions mentioned, how could they they be proven (specifically rape)? Would pregnant people who were repaed need to have completed the conviction of their rapist before getting an abortion? Would they just need to file a case? What if they aren't comfortable with filing?
To summarize, it is entirely possible the "exceptions" wouldn't really be exceptions (other than the ones that can be tested for like fetal abnormalities).
That said, even in the exception of "life-threatening situations" for the pregnant person, there would likely be no way to fairly enforce this. As we've seen in Texas, doctors cannot perform an abortion until women are in extremely fatal condition, leaving them with otherwise preventable lasting injuries. Doctors would probably regularly be sued for malpractice by private individuals.
I find it very interesting how despite Trumps voter base consisting seemingly of many pro-life, right wing republican's, he still spoke out against the issue you highlighted in Florida. Specifically, I like how you highlighted how Trump shined a light on his opinion on specifically Desantis's policies but refused to give his stance on the topic as a whole, only claiming that he would fix issue the once for all. Additionally, I think your deconstruction of Desantis's actual policies is very strong, as it is completely unrealistic to limit abortion to 6 weeks, when many women don't even know they are pregnant by then. Ultimately, I hope and think that Ron Desantis will face strong political backlash for such a policy despite his Republican backing as it clearly oversteps the 14th Amendment as you mentioned.
I think this is an interesting example because as a very right-wing Republican, you'd expect Trump to support DeSantis' very conservative policy. However, he does not, but even when "criticizing" DeSantis' abortion ban, he doesn't give his own opinion on when he thinks an abortion ban would be valid. Instead, he simply says he would "end up with peace" on the issue, showing that he is trying to play on both sides, as this statement could really mean anything. It becomes even more obvious that he's simply using this to his political benefit when he says that under him would be the first time there is peace on the issue in 52 years, making it seem like he is the only one capable of bringing peace to this issue. With the 2024 election cycle coming up, and Trump planning on running for reelection, I think it is pretty obvious he is just trying to attract a following and doesn't actually care about either side of the issue so long as people think he does.
This article is very well organized and written, showing how Trump, although being a right-wing Republican, can see the extremities of making a ban this short. Although Trump hasn't said his own opinions, we may assume he would be closer to pro-life with his other political beliefs. Despite this, many people do want to draw a line somewhere, especially to account for women who are raped, have medical emergencies, don't have the abilities to raise a kid, etc. At some point, giving an abortion option at 5 weeks is barely anything, as it often takes women more than that time to even figure out they are pregnant, and decisions for an abortion doesn't just happen over night. Ever since Roe v Wade has been overturned, it feels as though all states are so wide spread on this spectrum of beliefs, causing so much mayhem and disagreements. I personally believe that women should not have their bodies restricted by laws, especially considering circumstances where they are unable, or never intended on having a baby (considering that the babies life would be harmed). Overall, this article really intrigued me as it brought up how these intense laws have even made those who are pro-life rethink how extreme to be. However, it is also good to keep in mind if this may be an election strategy as we know Trump is planning on running again soon.
I find it interesting that although Trump has advocated for Pro-Life in the past, he is now taking a moderate stance on such a polarizing issue by criticizing the extremist DeSantis.
I think it is very typical of Trump to claim he can make peace with both sides and a compromise without offering a specific solution, somewhat similar to when he claimed he could end the Ukraine War in 24 hours if given the presidency. (without giving any details of HOW)
At first, I thought his criticism of DeSantis was probably motivated by the election polls. But since he is leading by so much, it seems odd he would need to take a stance on this matter considering many of his own supporters are Pro Life.
I too am surprised that Trump opposes the 5-6 week ban on abortion in Florida. My hope is that other Republicans will follow Trump, as they often do, and see DeSantis's ban as a step too far. If not, then what comes next? Banning all abortions? Making morning-after pills illegal?
Whether or not the ban goes into effect hinges on the Supreme Court decision on Florida's current 15-week ban.
Going off of Vishal's point, a woman would need documentation of rape or incest (a restraining order or police report), which might not be possible in all cases.
It does not surprise me that Trump spoke out against DeSantis' proposed abortion ban, as he likely feels comfortable that he will get the Republican nomination (as GOP front runner) and is now looking to secure moderate votes later in the election process, while also bashing one of his opponents.
I also find it ironic that after arguing for states' rights to legislate abortion for so long, many Republicans (including DeSantis) are now arguing that abortions should be legislated by the federal government. For many people,"states' rights" often seems to mean nothing but getting one step closer to enforcing their own political beliefs, regardless of which side they're on.
I think this whole situation can be summed up by what Nikki Haley, a comparatively moderate Republican candidate, said about a federal abortion ban in the first GOP debate. She mentioned that a federal abortion ban would never pass in both the house and the senate, meaning any pandering done on the part of DeSantis and similar candidates regarding abortion is largely meaningless. Furthermore, regardless of whether someone is for or against abortion rights, there is bipartisan support, at least among voters, for making exemptions for cases of rape. Furthermore, apart from a small group of Christian fundamentalists, most Americans, across both parties, agree that abortions within the first trimester should be allowed (second trimester seems to be slightly more controversial but most doctors agree it's fine, whereas third-trimester abortions, as pointed out in the blog post, are exceedingly rare). The bottom line is, a 5-6 week abortion ban is ludicrous, and Trump is right to point out that it would be a horrible decision to pass it.
Trump has an interesting angle here (as per usual). It's obvious that he's saying whatever to appeal to the majority, and at this moment what is appealing to the majority is to denounce DeSantis's actions (as many Republicans who are primarily pro-life even believe his actions are extreme) and stay as unspecific as possible, as America has fairly split views on abortion and he doesn't necessarily want to rock that boat. I could theorize that Trump is happily pro-choice (especially considering his multitude of extramarital affairs, that might be in his best interest), but his foundation is the Republican party, which at the moment is filled with radical pro-lifers who seek to steal the right to abortion from every woman in the United States. So the real conundrum is how to appeal to the people without aggravating his party. And of course, to achieve this, Trump keeps his statements purposefully vague hesitates to make any definitive stances on abortion, as to not anger the horde or the middle majority.
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