Campaigning in Iowa, former President Donald Trump tried to solidify his pro-life bona fides after recent GOP questions arose about Trump’s conservative commitment on the issue. Trump told the Iowa crowd a story about doctors murdering babies that have been carried to term and born into the world.
In Trump’s story, Democrats, physicians, and mothers conspire together to “execute” certain newborn infants, if the mother “doesn’t want the baby” after the baby is born.
Trump says: “If it’s after the 9th month and the baby was born you put the baby aside. You discuss with the mother and if the mother doesn’t want the baby we execute the baby. This is part of their thing.”
Trump’s story of infant execution drew boos from the crowd — not boos directed at Trump but at those allegedly engaged in the homicidal activity he described. Those seeking to set the story straight were everywhere in the comments, if not in the crowd, with this comment prominently featured on X.
There is no such thing as abortion after birth. Third-trimester abortions happen when the fetus can not survive outside the womb OR the mother’s life is at stake. Please use the links below for proper information:
plannedparenthood.org/blog/theres-no…
reproductiverights.org/?s_src=19GAABO…
Trump says this is Democrats’ position on abortion: “If it’s after the 9th month and the baby was born you put the baby aside. You discuss with the mother and if the mother doesn’t want the baby we execute the baby. This is part of their thing.” pic.twitter.com/1bZlO9MWQI
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) October 7, 2023
Why is Trump pushing the false infant-murder-after-birth narrative? The blowback from his past as a pro-choice advocate coupled with his issuing of a Republican reality-check about whether the abortion issue is a political winner gives him vulnerability on the far-right, despite his Supreme Court choices having helped overturn Roe v. Wade.
But leaving himself room to retain broader appeal on the abortion issue nationally than his more conservative counterparts, Trump isn’t talking about 5-week bans and such. More insidiously, he is accusing pro-choice advocates of the inhumane murder of infants, broadly painting pro-choice advocates as criminals with a penchant for infanticide.
Background: When Trump recently suggested that the GOP’s abortion positions could hurt the party politically, Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood worker who is now a leading anti-abortion activist told the Washington Post that “any candidate who is truly pro-life should be able to vow to sign any pro-life legislation that comes across their desk. President Trump’s disappointing comments only serve as an avenue for pro-lifers to find another candidate to support.”
