Donald Trump is trying to take one of the biggest guns that Democrats have in their arsenal out.
Over the weekend, Trump suggested an abortion compromise if he wins the presidency as a way to settle the abortion argument in this country once and for all.
Talking Points…
- Democrats pushing abortion as health care
- Trump suggests compromise legislation
- Analysis
Just as Democrats have done during the last two elections, they are now trying to make abortion the number one issue for the election. During Joe Biden's State of the Union address, Biden promised that he would continue to fight Republicans until Roe v. Wade was the law of the land, telling the GOP they found out the hard way when "reproductive freedom was on the ballot" during the recent elections. He added:
"We won in 2020 and 2022 and we'll win again in 2024."
Kamala Harris then took it a step further by being the first Vice President in history to visit an abortion clinic while in office. And, as usual, she pitched abortion as a form of reproductive health care, stating:
"In states around our country, extremists have proposed and passed laws that have denied women access to reproductive health care, and the stories abound.
"It is only right and fair that people have access to the health care they need and that they have access to health care in an environment where they are treated with dignity and respect."
To this point, the Democrats have pitched the narrative that the GOP wants to have all abortions banned, including exceptions, but that is not necessarily the case. There are members of the party who are sticking by the complete banning of all abortions, but there are more than likely enough members of the party willing to make a compromise on this, which includes Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), that something could be passed.
If there is no compromise, then Democrats will continue to make this a vital issue during every election cycle, and it will continue to hurt Republicans. To that point, the GOP is going to have to bend on this unless they want to continue to lose elections. It will be a tough pill for pro-lifers who want a complete ban in place, but we have to be realistic in saying that will never happen.
This weekend, Donald Trump stated that he wanted to present legislation that would be considered a win for both sides. He offered up the possibility of a ban after 16 weeks that would offer exceptions when the health of the mother was in danger, incest, and rape. He added:
"Pretty soon, I'm going to be making a decision. And I would like to see if we could do that at all. I would like to see if we could make both sides happy."
Trump is probably on the low end of that sweet spot where I think a deal can be made, but he is at least in the ballpark. The key issue to any possible abortion legislation is that it will need to include exceptions, and some Republicans are refusing to give in on this particular issue.
If they continue to remain firm that all abortions must be banned, you can forget about ever winning any major election as well as stealing seats away from Democrats in Congress again. And the sad reality is that if you are not in office, there is nothing further you can do that will help unborn children. As I stated above, this will be a tough pill for some on the right to swallow, but if they want to get control back of this government, it is a concession they will have to make.
