South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham disagrees with his party’s presidential nominee about the issue of abortion, and in a year where the election can come down to the wire, people are noticing.
Former president and current nominee Donald Trump recently reiterated his position on abortion – namely that it is an issue that should be left up to the states. In a video released on his Truth Social platform, Trump explained his feelings on the subject.
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However, Graham is also standing behind a stance he’s actively taken since 2022, when he pushed for a federal 15-week abortion ban.
“I think we should draw a line,” NBC News reported Graham saying. “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.”
More from NBC:
Graham’s comments came after Trump released a video statement earlier Monday boasting about 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 previously endorsed federal restrictions, and the blowback that came immediately from abortion foes indicated how divided the GOP is on how to manage the thorny politics of the issue. Trump, notably, didn’t rule out signing federal limits if Congress were to pass them.
The issue is a delicate one, most Republicans feel. At least some of them blame the Dobbs decision in 2022 as part of (possibly even a major part of) why the so-called “red wave” did not materialize in that year’s midterm elections. However, pro-life voters are extremely passionate about the issue, and it would hurt Republicans among faithful evangelical supporters if the party abandoned the issue altogether.
Trump is staking out the ground that most Republicans find themselves on – and some polling indicates larger swaths of the electorate agree with. The issue is one that should be fought state-by-state. Some recent elections have suggested the pro-life position is not as strong at the state and local level, but there have been some successes by conservatives at the same time – notably in places like Louisiana, where the state successfully banned abortion through legislative action.
But some say it’s not enough.
“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 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.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has clashed with his former running mate since leaving office, said Trump’s statement was “a slap in the face to the millions of pro-life Americans who voted for him in 2016 and 2020.”
However, Republicans will likely not be tackling the issue very hard. Most campaigns are currently focused on the economy, inflation, and immigrations – all areas where the Democrats are exceedingly weak, according to recent polling.
