RELEASE: Trump on State GOP Abortion Bans: “A Beautiful Thing to Watch”

WASHINGTON —Last night, Trump applauded the surge of dangerous Republican abortion bans that have ravaged reproductive health care and denied women emergency reproductive health care in the wake of the Dobbs decision, saying it is “a beautiful thing to watch.” 

Trump has repeatedly promised to leave “everything up to the states” around reproductive care. He recently suggested he would allow states to have different policies on birth control and emergency contraception bans.This promise built on his earlier commitment that he would let red states handle every aspect of reproductive freedom, including monitoring pregnancies, prosecuting women who get abortions, and allowing states to consider fetal personhood legislation that threatens reproductive care like IVF. 

Trump’s anti-woman MAGA agenda is already being carried out in the states since Dobbs made states the true arbiters of reproductive rights. Twenty-five states—all controlled by Republican legislatures—have enacted laws to ban or restrict abortion earlier than the standard previously protected by Roe. Access to contraception is being targeted by Republican-controlled states – Oklahoma, Arizona, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Missouri have already taken action that threatens or prevents protections for birth control accessibility. More GOP-led states could be empowered to pass sweeping bans on abortion and contraception with Trump’s stamp of approval, and we must take Trump at his word.

The fall of Roe has fundamentally altered the trajectory of reproductive freedoms and placed state legislatures directly on the frontlines of protecting access to abortion and contraception. The stakes couldn’t be clearer – electing Democratic majorities in the states is the strongest path for safeguarding reproductive care.

Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee National Press Secretary Sam Paisley issued the following statement:

“There’s nothing ‘beautiful’ about the extreme abortion bans that Republicans in state legislatures have pursued and enacted. Since the fall of Roe, women have faced an assault on their bodily autonomy – with potentially fatal consequences. Trump’s terrifying vision for rolling back reproductive rights is already a reality because of his army of Republican allies in states that have passed the harshest abortion bans possible.

“Since Dobbs, building Democratic power in state legislatures has been the only defense against the GOP’s crusade on live-saving reproductive health care. As Republican extremism only intensifies, electing Democrats in the states has never been more important. The stakes of the 2024 elections are clear: To protect reproductive rights and combat Republicans’ dangerous agenda, we must elect Democrats up and down the ballot.”

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is the official Democratic Party committee dedicated to winning America’s state legislatures and building state infrastructure. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.

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