Handout via REUTERS
- Former President Donald Trump lied about Democrats' view on abortions.
- Trump echoed his past claim that Democrats supported babies being "executed after birth."
- President Joe Biden slammed him as being the most responsible for the Supreme Court overturning Roe.
Former President Donald Trump lied on Monday and said that Democrats wanted babies "executed after birth," in a video that was supposed to unveil his views on the politically fraught issue of abortion.
"They support abortion up to and even beyond the ninth month," Trump said in a video posted on Truth Social. "The concept of having an abortion in the later months, and even execution after birth. That's exactly what it is — the baby is born, and the baby is executed after birth."
Trump's claim was part of an announcement that sought to finally establish his views on abortion amid a series of sometimes contradictory statements. He declined to support a nationwide abortion ban. The former president said that whatever individual states determined "must be the law of the land" but did not establish an explicit position on abortion-rights ballot initiatives pending in states throughout the country.
As he has in the past, Trump argued that since Democrats articulate few limits they want to place on abortion, it means they want to allow abortions up until the point of birth or even after that. This "infanticide" argument has been part of the abortion debate for years.
The fact is that abortions beyond 21 weeks are rare, as multiple outlets and fact-checkers have confirmed. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from before the Supreme Court gutted Roe v. Wade, less than 1% of abortions were performed at 21 weeks or later in gestation. Doctors have said such abortions are performed for medical emergencies only.
The Biden White House has backed the Women's Health Protection Act, which, as Business Insider previously reported, did not allow for post-birth termination. The bill did allow for later abortions for "health" reasons, which anti-abortion groups have argued is too vague of a position and could allow for abortions for psychological or emotional reasons.
President Joe Biden, in a statement released by his campaign, said that Trump "more than anyone in America" was most responsible for the uncertainty around nationwide abortion rights following the Supreme Court's decision.
"Trump is scrambling," Biden said in a statement. "He's worried that since he's the one responsible for overturning Roe the voters will hold him accountable in 2024."
In his video statement, Trump expressed pride in his role of appointing three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped provide the majority that overturned Roe.