President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in an election in which abortion rights were a heavy focus raises major questions about what might come next for abortion access in the U.S. During the final stages of his campaign, Trump said he thought states should determine their own abortion policies.
But his position on the issue has varied widely — in a March interview, he signaled support for a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks’ gestation, and as president, he supported a House bill that would have banned abortion nationwide after 20 weeks. During his 2016 campaign, Trump pledged to appoint Supreme Court justices who could help overturn Roe v. Wade.
As president, he accomplished that goal and has at times boasted about it . Meanwhile, Vice President-elect JD Vance has suggested that he would support a national law limiting abortion . More recently, he adopted Trump’s stance of letting states decide.
The Trump campaign didn’t respond to a request for comment. Because of those inconsistencies, policy experts said, there’s no clear road map for the future of abortion in a second Trump administration — though they offered some theories. A national abortion ban, if approved by Congress, would override state-level protections, including the seven ballot measures that passed Tuesday .
But even if Republicans win control of the House , as well, that kind of federal restriction is unlikely, four experts said. Trump has said he wouldn’t sign such a ban . (He has de.