Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday touted his pro-life accomplishments but declined to say whether he would sign a federal abortion ban if he wins back the White House.
Trump made the comments during a New Hampshire town hall on CNN moderated by Kaitlan Collins, who asked Trump if he would sign a bill passed by Congress that prohibits abortion, Yahoo reports.
Earlier this year, Trump was criticized by some pro-life groups for saying abortion was a state-level issue.
"What I'll do is negotiate so that people are happy," Trump said. "… We put three great justices on the Supreme Court. We have almost 300 federal judges."
Collins again asked Trump if he would sign a federal ban.
"I want to do what's right," Trump said. "… We want to do what's right for everybody. Right now, for the first time, the people that are pro-life have negotiating capability, because you didn't have it before. They could kill the baby in the ninth month or after the baby was born."
Overturning Roe v. Wade, Trump said, has "saved so many lives."
Trump placed three members on the U.S. Supreme Court — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — who voted with the majority to strike down the historic decision.
"I'm honored to have done it," he said. "And because of what I've done, we now have a great negotiating ability. That's what I do in life — I negotiate. We have a great negotiating ability, and I think we're going to be able to get something done."
Trump also criticized Democrats as "radical" on abortion, saying they support ripping the "baby out of the womb at the end of the ninth month." He said he supports exceptions for rape, incest and to save the mother's life.
"It's not the pro-life people that are radical," he said.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Jeff J Mitchell/Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
