Donald Trump appeared to suggest he would be open to restricting access to the abortion pill mifepristone during a press conference on Thursday.
While speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the former president was asked about plans that could be implemented to restrict abortion access beyond a national ban if he wins the presidential election in November.
One reporter gave an example of directing the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] to revoke access to mifepristone, a medication that when taken along with misoprostol is used to terminate a pregnancy within its first 10 weeks of gestation.
“You can do things which supplement, absolutely, and those things are pretty open, and humane, but you have to be able to have a vote,” Trump said.
“All I want to do is give everybody a vote, and the votes are taking place right now as we speak. There are many things on a human basis that you can do outside of that, but you also have to give a vote, and the people are going to have to decide.”
The Context
The debate over abortion access is set to be one of the hot topic issues of the 2024 election.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign has accused Trump of wanting to implement a full abortion ban if he wins November’s race, a stance which Trump has often distanced himself from.
Trump has previously said the issue of abortion rights should be left up to individual states in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Trump has also been accused of supporting The Heritage Foundation‘s conservative Project 2025, a manifesto that includes introducing stricter laws on obtaining mifepristone.
What We Know
Trump has previously said he would not block access to mifepristone if he returned to the White House.
Speaking during the June 27 CNN debate with his previous 2024 challenger, President Joe Biden, the Republican said: “The Supreme Court just approved the abortion pill, and I agree with their decision to have done that, and I will not block it.”
In mid-June, the Supreme Court had actually declined to limit access to mifepristone. The unanimous decision overturned a lower court’s ruling and means the FDA still has the power to give expanded access to medications which are now used in more than 60 percent of all abortions in the U.S.
Trump has also refused to say how he would vote on a ballot measure that seeks to override Florida’s six-week abortion ban.
“I think the abortion issue has been very much tempered down,” he said, speaking at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. “I answered, I think, very well in the debate, and it seems to be much less of an issue.”
Trump’s office has been contacted for comment via email.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
