Trump’s abortion policy to include exceptions for rape and incest

Republican presidential candidate to announce his abortion policy on Monday

Donald Trump has hinted that his long-awaited policy on abortion would include exceptions for rape and incest as well as protection for the life of the mother.

The Republican presidential candidate said he would outline the policy on Monday. Although he did not provide further details, it is expected to call for a federal abortion ban less restrictive than the six-week prohibition passed in Florida and Georgia.

In the past, the former president has argued that a more moderate position on abortion is necessary for Republicans to prevail in the November election.

"Republicans, and all others, must follow their hearts and minds, but remember that, like Ronald Reagan before me, I, and most other Republicans, believe in EXCEPTIONS for Rape, Incest, and Life of the Mother," Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Monday.

He added: "...we must use common sense in realising that we have an obligation to the salvation of our Nation, which is currently in serious DECLINE, TO WIN ELECTIONS, without which we will have nothing other than failure, death, and destruction.”

The regulation of abortion has been a matter left to individual states since the Supreme Court overturned constitutional protection for the procedure in 2022.

Mr Trump, who has repeatedly dodged questions about signing a national abortion ban, has been under pressure from anti-abortion groups to detail his stance. However, he has continued to take responsibility for terminating the Roe v Wade judgment through his appointment of three judges.

A less-stringent proposal could make those anti-abortion advocates unhappy while at the same time galvanising abortion-rights groups who have warned that Republicans would seek a federal ban if they gain control of the White House and Congress.

In a September interview, Mr Trump called Florida's six-week ban a "terrible thing and a terrible mistake". "I think the Republicans speak very inarticulately about this subject," he told NBC.

Mr Trump also indicated last month that he would support a 15-week federal abortion ban. “The number of weeks now, people are agreeing on 15, and I’m thinking in terms of that, and it’ll come out to something that’s very reasonable,” he told WABC.

President Joe Biden, who is Mr Trump's rival in the upcoming polls, has made the Republican's opposition to abortion rights a key tenet of his re-election campaign.

“There isn’t a statement Donald Trump can make that changes the facts – he BRAGS about overturning Roe, and that without him there would be no abortion bans at all, and he is responsible for the hellscape women live in today," Biden campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said on X.

"Those are his words. It’s all on tape."