Trump and Harris' views on abortion and IVF access, explained

Source: CBS

Date of Publication: November 7th, 2024

The phrase "shifting views" implies inconsistency, suggesting to the reader that trump lacks a firm stance on the matter.

Linking Trump directly to the decision positions him negatively amongst pro- choice voters and due to the emotions surrounding abortion, may provoke people into steering

towards the democrats.

Trump has throughout the campaign had shifting views on abortion,

frustrating social conservatives and anti-abortion rights groups that are pushing for a nationwide ban.

Aims to create the idea of division amongst republican party.

The Republican nominee has repeatedly taken credit for the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v.

Wade in June 2022 and touted that three of the justices he appointed to the high court voted to unwind the constitutional right to abortion.

He has said the court's landmark decision means the issue is now left up to voters in the states.

"My view is now that we have abortion where everybody wanted it from a legal standpoint, the states will determine by vote or legislation, or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land," he said in a video posted to social media in April.

Trump has stopped short of backing a federal abortion ban, but said during a March radio

interview that "people are agreeing on 15, and I'm thinking in terms of that."

During the first and perhaps only presidential debate between Harris and Trump on Sept. 10, Harris warned, "Understand, if Donald Trump were to be reelected, he will sign a national abortion ban."

The use of the word "warned" portrays Harris as a protective figure, framing Trump as a threat to reproductive rights, once again using controversy to spark emotion. It also portrays Harris as a protective figure of abortion rights.

Trump responded by saying, "It's a lie. I'm not signing a ban, and there's no reason to sign a ban, because we've gotten what everybody wanted, Democrats, Republicans and everybody else, and every legal scholar wanted it to be brought back into the states."

But when asked by debate moderator Linsey Davis whether he'd veto a ban, he responded, "I won't have to," but did not say he would veto a ban if it were passed by Congress.

Using the phrase 'he did not say', it portrays Trump as evasive on a highly

important issue to voters However, Trump clearly mentioned that he would not have to because he thought that everybody was already happy with current abortion laws.

Davis tried again: "But if I could just get a 'yes' or 'no' because your running mate, JD Vance, has said that you would veto if it did come to your desk."

Trump again declined to say whether he'd veto a national ban, responding, "I didn't discuss it with JD, in all fairness."

Still, as Democrats, including Harris, have sought to tie Trump and Republicans to abortion restrictions enacted in 22 states after Roe was reversed, the former president has attempted to counter their attacks.

The word 'still' emphasizes the Democrats' ongoing concern about the issue, pointing out its continued relevance. It pushes the idea that Trump remains associated with strict abortion policies, suggesting he has not completely distanced himself from his restrictive stance.

"My administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights," he declared on social media on Aug. 23, the morning after Harris delivered a speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination that claimed Trump's second-term agenda includes limiting access to birth control, outlawing medication abortion and banning abortion nationwide.

The former president has also criticized some of the most restrictive state laws on abortion —namely a six-week ban in place in Florida, where he lives — and said he favors exceptions in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the mother is at risk. The former president called Florida's ban a "terrible thing and a terrible mistake."

He reiterated in an interview with NBC News in September that six weeks is "too short" and said he is "going to be voting that we need more than six weeks."

This tells the reader that Trump is facing pressure from extremist conservatives, which

portray him as someone who is influenced more by his party's agenda over what the country wants, discouraging

independent and moderate voters to vote for Donald Trump.

Trump's comments earned him swift backlash from conservatives, who criticized him for

supporting a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution that

is on the November ballot. The measure would prohibit laws that restrict abortion before fetal viability, generally considered to be between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Trump quickly backtracked amid the fallout and said he would be voting "no" on the abortion amendment, which, if defeated in November, would leave Florida's six-week ban in place.

By not juxtaposing Harris's position directly, it reduces the impact of what Trump has to say subtly, undermining the rebuttal as a whole.

This is completely unnecessary as Trump has already answered the question. It also does not hold any value in the article and does not bring any new points forward meaning its sole reason of being there is to portray Trump in a more negative light.

The article mentions numerous times about Trump's restrictive abortion bans, the immediate follow- up of 'Trump backtracking' undercuts any moderate

position he may have held- pushing the idea he is

inconsistent and caving in to the pressure from extremist

factions in the conservative party.