Both sides of abortion debate speak out after Donald Trump opposes 6-week ban
Image via AP.

abortion protest
Trump's campaign still hasn't made clear where he stands on Florida's abortion rights initiative.

People on both sides of the Florida abortion debate are reacting after former President Donald Trump and his team gave conflicting answers regarding his support for a ballot initiative that would undo the state’s six-week abortion ban.

“While there are many issues that are dividing us as Floridians and as Americans, it is now clear that Florida’s extreme ban on abortion is not one of them,” read a statement from Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition, a bipartisan group supporting reproductive freedom.

“As former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump outlined yesterday, the simple fact is that Florida’s six-week abortion ban is not enough time.”

The group was reacting to Trump’s original answer regarding Amendment 4 when questioned by NBC News reporter Dasha Burns.

“I think the six-week is too short, there has to be more time,” Trump told Burns.

“So you’ll vote in favor of the amendment?” Burns asked.

“I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks,” Trump replied.

Trump’s campaign quickly tried to backtrack, saying in a statement that he has not decided yet how he will vote on Amendment 4, which would enshrine abortion rights into the constitution.

Taryn Fenske, part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ communications team who is speaking against Amendment 4, issued a statement trying to frame Trump as being against the initiative to protect abortion rights.

“Donald Trump has consistently stated that late-term abortions where a baby can feel pain should never be permitted, and he’s always stood up for parents’ rights,” Fenske said on X. “Amendment 4 would allow late-term abortions, eliminate parental consent, and open the door to taxpayer-funded abortions.”

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried pointed out Trump’s role in overturning Roe v. Wade, as he appointed conservative Justices who voted to end the landmark court case in place since 1973.

“Floridians know exactly how we got here,” Fried said in a statement Friday. “Trump has repeatedly bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade and now, he’s attempting to run away from his record on reproductive rights because he knows that abortion bans are extremely unpopular. Because of Donald Trump, Floridians are living under one of the most restrictive 6-week abortion bans in the country.”

The November ballot initiative needs at least 60% of the vote to pass, which means the Amendment 4 campaign needs bipartisan support.

When asked about Trump’s comments, the Amendment 4 campaign said, “We know that the passage of Amendment 4 is a nonpartisan issue — Republican, Democrat or independent, the overwhelming majority of Floridians do not want the government making decisions for them when it comes to something as personal and complicated as pregnancy.”

Gabrielle Russon

Gabrielle Russon is an award-winning journalist based in Orlando. She covered the business of theme parks for the Orlando Sentinel. Her previous newspaper stops include the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Toledo Blade, Kalamazoo Gazette and Elkhart Truth as well as an internship covering the nation’s capital for the Chicago Tribune. For fun, she runs marathons. She gets her training from chasing a toddler around. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter @GabrielleRusson .


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