For conservative, anti-abortion Christians, former President Donald Trump delivered in four years what no other Republican before him had been able to do: A conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court that would go on to overturn Roe v. Wade, a Holy Grail of the movement.
With abortion rights now controlled by each state, rather than legalized nationwide by the 1973 court ruling, Trump made clear Monday that he would not be leading the push for a federal abortion ban as he vies for his second term in the Oval Office. Some anti-abortion religious leaders criticized his approach, while others gave thanks for Trump’s past anti-abortion wins and vowed to keep pressing for federal restrictions.
“Roe is done. The opportunity to protect life is at hand.” Brent Leatherwood, who leads the Southern Baptist Convention’s political arm, said in a statement.
Candidates who profess the anti-abortion views of the voters they’re wooing “should be articulating a robust vision for establishing a true culture of life where babies are saved, mothers are served, and families are supported,” he said. “Anything short of that is not a serious attempt to court pro-life voters.”
The Trump campaign did not respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment. But in the video posted Monday on his Truth Social site, Trump backed the patchwork of state abortion laws that followed the 2022 Supreme Court decision upending federal abortion protections. Trump took credit for the outcome, a historic ruling celebrated by his evangelical base.
“Many states will be different. Many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than others and that’s what they will be,” Trump said. “At the end of the day it’s all about will of the people.”
Read the full Associated Press article here.
