Vice President Kamala Harris inaccurately characterized former President Donald Trump’s positions on reproductive rights at campaign rallies in North Carolina and Pennsylvania on Wednesday. As she sought to sway undecided voters in these key battleground states, she claimed, “He would ban abortion nationwide. He would restrict access to birth control, put IVF treatments at risk, and force states to monitor women’s pregnancies,” during her address in Raleigh.
Harris reiterated similar assertions later in Harrisburg, stating, “Donald Trump’s not done; he would ban abortion nationwide — yes, even here in Pennsylvania — if he were successful.”
In contrast, Trump has consistently stated that he opposes a federal abortion ban, advocating instead for states to determine their own policies. He has also campaigned for making in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments free and opposes restrictions on birth control. Moreover, he has not supported the idea of government monitoring of pregnancies.
Harris linked Trump’s policies to the conservative Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, despite Trump’s rejection of the document’s authors, whom he describes as radical “far-right” figures. “Just Google ‘Project 2025’ — just Google it. Read the plans yourself,” she urged voters during her closing remarks.
While some of Trump’s former aides contributed to Project 2025, he has distanced himself from its proposals. The issue of abortion is particularly significant in the lead-up to the election on November 5, especially in North Carolina, where state lawmakers recently shortened the legal window for most abortions to 12 weeks from 20, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
Trump, who appointed three justices instrumental in rescinding federal abortion rights, has attempted to adopt a centrist stance on abortion. During his September 10 debate with Harris, he asserted, “No, I’m not in favor of an abortion ban, but it doesn’t matter because this issue has been taken over by the states.” He noted that voters in Republican-majority states, such as Ohio and Kansas, have overwhelmingly rejected proposed abortion bans.
In August, Trump criticized a proposed Florida law banning abortions after six weeks, stating, “I think the six weeks is too short. It has to be more time,” although his spokespeople later clarified that he was not indicating how he would vote on such a measure. He has also called for maintaining abortion access in cases of rape, incest, and threats to maternal health.
Harris’s remarks regarding IVF come in the wake of an Alabama legal battle concerning the procedure, leading to a clarification by Trump-backed state legislators that IVF is permissible, even though it can involve the destruction of embryos. In August, Trump proposed making IVF free nationwide, saying, “Under the Trump administration, your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with IVF treatment. We want more babies.”
Harris has not clarified her position on this issue, with IVF treatments typically costing between $15,000 and $20,000 per cycle, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Trump has consistently maintained that he supports access to contraception, declaring on Truth Social in May, “I have never, and will never advocate imposing restrictions on birth control, or other contraceptives.”
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