Donald Trump Criticises Ron Desantis Over Abortion Ban in Florida: “A Terrible Mistake”
Former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner in the Republican presidential race, has called a law signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) that prohibits abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy "a terrible thing." In April 2023, DeSantis signed into law one of the harshest abortion bills in the country: a ban that takes effect after just six weeks of pregnancy, a measure pushed through by a Republican-dominated legislature.
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On Sunday's episode of NBC's Meet the Press, Trump slammed DeSantis for being "willing to sign a five-week and six-week ban." As reported by the New York Times, Trump clearly said that DeSantis, "did a terrible thing and a terrible mistake." DeSantis's six-week ban would criminalize the practice in Florida before many individuals realize they are pregnant, with exceptions for rape, incest, medical crises, and "fatal fetal abnormalities."
Kristen Welker, the new anchor of Meet the Press, asked Trump if he would sign federal legislation banning abortion at 15 weeks. Trump responded with a "no" and indicated that he was open to discussing and reaching a conclusion over an apt timeframe with Democrats. He added that he would "sit down with both sides and I’d negotiate something, and we’ll end up with peace on that issue for the first time in 52 years. Both sides are going to like me. I’m going to come together with all groups, and we’re going to have something that’s acceptable," per The Washington Post.
Last year, Trump claimed that he nominated Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, three of the five conservative Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, per CNBC. With that three-member coalition, the court was able to overturn the constitutional right to abortion that had been in place for over half a century. Trump even stated at the time that court decisions "were only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. It was my great honor to do so!"
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Ron DeSantis believes felony criminal penalties in Florida abortion bans don’t apply to women. Good. I’ve filed a bill to make sure of it.
— Lauren Book (@LeaderBookFL) September 17, 2023
Watch more on @DeFede @CBSMiami ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/XqOOJEauhs
Despite the fact that Ron DeSantis signed a bill prohibiting abortions beyond six weeks in April, he has now breached the language of the ban by saying that women who have abortions would not be punished. Recently, the Republican presidential aspirant from Florida said on CBS Evening News that women would not face jail time or penalties under the proposed legislation.
He said, "We have no criminal penalty. The penalties are for the physician," claiming that only the doctors who perform the abortion will be targeted. CBS News wanted to know whether a woman who terminates her pregnancy is not "actively participating" in the process from DeSantis' perspective. He replied, "No, because she’s not a medical practitioner."
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