Let states decide abortion rights, Trump says

Donald Trump has said decisions about abortion rights should be left to the states, releasing a statement on the contentious election issue on Monday.

Many in his Republican party had wanted him to back a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

But Mr Trump said policies should be set by individual states - as they have been since the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade decision in 2022.

Since then, preserving abortion rights has become a top issue for many voters.

Some states have been tightening restrictions on abortion, while others have moved to widen access.

President Joe Biden, responding to Mr Trump's statement, said his rival was "scrambling" and that he was worried voters would punish him on the issue at the polls.

In his video, Mr Trump said: "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."

Mr Trump also said he was "proudly the person responsible" for the change brought about by the US Supreme Court two years ago, when it overturned the longstanding Roe v Wade decision that a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy was protected by the US constitution.

In 2016, Mr Trump campaigned on appointing justices who would overturn Roe v Wade - and went on to appoint three conservatives to the court during his presidency.

In his statement, he acknowledged this would create a piecemeal situation across the US: "Many states will be different. Many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than others.

But he said it came down to "the will of the people", adding: "You must follow your heart or in many cases, your religion or your faith."

Mr Trump clarified that he was in favour of exceptions when rape or incest were involved, or the life of the mother was in danger.

Mr Trump is all but certain to be the Republican candidate in the November election, in which abortion access has become a key debate.

He has sent mixed signals on the topic, and has acknowledged that the issue has caused major problems for his party in elections held since 2022.

He has declined to say at what number of weeks he supports a ban - despite previously signalling support for a 15-week limit.

The head of the Susan B Anthony group, among those urging Mr Trump to support a federal 15-week ban, said she was "deeply disappointed" with Mr Trump's statement.

"Unborn children and their mothers deserve national protections and national advocacy from the brutality of the abortion industry," Marjorie Dannenfelser said.

President Biden said Mr Trump had created "cruelty and chaos" since Roe v Wade was overturned, alleging that his rival would sign off a federal abortion ban proposed by Republicans if he returned to the White House.

While conservative states have moved to limit abortion access over the latest two years, other states have passed laws to enshrine abortion rights in law.

Last week, Florida became the latest state to chart its own course - setting up perhaps the highest-stakes political showdown on the issue so far.

First, the state's supreme court upheld the state's right to prohibit abortion, giving the green light for a six-week ban to take effect on 1 May. This amounts to a near-total ban, given that many women do not realise they are pregnant at six weeks.

But the court is also allowing Floridians to vote in November on whether abortion rights should be protected in the state constitution.

Mr Trump, who resides in Florida, won the state in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections - but Mr Biden reportedly believes the abortion debate could offer a path to victory for him there in November.

Mr Biden has given his staunch support to universal abortion access and made it a central campaign issue.