World News | Anti-abortion group allies with Trump after weeks of criticism

HOUSTON, May 9 (AP) The leader of a major anti-abortion group aligned itself with former President Donald Trump on the issue Monday, just weeks after questioning his pledge to limit the abortion procedure.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America group, called her Monday meeting with Trump “great,” saying in a statement that he “reiterates that any federal legislation protecting these children needs to include exceptions for life.” situation mothers and cases of rape and incest.”

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The character of the meeting — which Dannenfelser’s team said took place at Trump’s Florida home — marked a shift from more than two weeks ago. Dannenfelser then called Trump’s argument that abortion restrictions should be left to individual states, not the federal government, “a morally untenable position for a presidential candidate who claims to be against abortion.”

Dannenfelser’s group said it would not support any White House candidate who did not support at least a 15-week federal abortion ban. Her statement about Monday’s meeting with key Republican contenders did not mention any discussion of proposed limits to the federal ban, other than Trump’s opposition to a late-stage process he has long opposed.

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Trump called himself “the most pro-abortion president in American history” as he nominated three conservative justices to the Supreme Court, paving the way for overturning Roe v. Abortion has been legal for nearly 50 years.

But in the early months of the 2024 campaign, Trump often dodged the issue of abortion, even as Republicans across the country celebrated the Supreme Court ruling stripping the federal constitutional right to abortion.

On Monday, Dannenfelser repeated a characterization she had used before, calling Trump’s presidency “the most important for the anti-abortion cause in American history.” Although Trump has been praised for his judicial nomination, he was criticized after last year’s election after he said Republicans underperformed because abortion opponents spoke out against women whose pregnancies were the result of rape or incest or whose lives were at risk exceptions.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the meeting, which Dannenfelser said included Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — one of Trump’s key allies in Congress — and the chairman of the Family Research Council. Tony Perkins, who is a Christian conservative ally of Trump.

All candidates running in the Republican presidential primary or campaign support a state ban on abortion. While entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign said he saw it as a state issue rather than the federal government, the majority was much more cautious about taking a stand on a nationwide ban.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who has formed a presidential scouting committee and is expected to enter the race later this month, said he would support a federal law that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a state abortion ban last month that, if upheld by the courts, would ban the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy or before many women know they are pregnant. It will only go into effect if the conservative-controlled state Supreme Court upholds Florida’s current 15-week moratorium, part of an ongoing legal challenge.

Florida’s ban would be one of the toughest in the U.S., but DeSantis did not take a firm position on whether such restrictions should be implemented nationwide.

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and former U.N. ambassador, called abortion a “personal issue” that should be left to the states, though she left open the possibility of a federal ban. In a speech at SBA headquarters last month, Haley said she saw a federal role in the debate but did not support a national ban.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who as governor signed a law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, said he would sign a federal ban, but gave no timeline for what he would support as president.

Trump’s stance presents an opportunity for potential rivals such as former Vice President Mike Pence, an evangelical Christian with longstanding anti-abortion views. Pence’s advocacy group Advancing American Freedom has pushed through Congress to pass legislation that would include a nationwide abortion ban starting at about six weeks. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)