The debate exchange between Donald Trump and Joe Biden regarding abortion was revealing and was so botched by Biden it may have taken away the Democratic Party’s keystone issue for the 2024 elections. In 1980, Ronald Reagan stated very clearly his position on abortion. In discussing this later, he said that many would agree with his position, many would not agree with his position, but at least they knew where he stood and can respect his stance. Sitting president Jimmy Carter, however, tried to straddle the issue and he lost support on both sides. Trump clarified his position emphatically while Biden stumbled all over the issue and made many false claims. The result is similar to 1980.
Trump clearly stated, “Like Ronald Reagan, I believe in the exceptions. I am a person that believes. And frankly, I think it’s important to believe in the exceptions. Some people – you have to follow your heart. Some people don’t believe in that. But I believe in the exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. I think it’s very important. Some people don’t. Follow your heart.” Trump also said he was fine with the Supreme Court decisions on the abortion pill, and states’ rights in deciding their abortion laws. He said he was against the Democratic Party’s extremism, saying, “The problem they have is they’re radical, because they will take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month, and even after birth – after birth.”
Biden argued that constitutional scholars deemed Roe v Wade was legal, and that it could not be disputed. Biden said that Roe didn’t allow late-term or post partem abortions, but it did, and many Democrat politicians were pushing for it. Biden said that a lot ow women were being raped by their sisters and they shouldn’t have to cross state lines and face arrest to get an abortion. He said, “But here’s the deal, there’s a lot of young women who are being raped by their – by their in-laws, by their – by their spouses, brothers and sisters, by – just – it’s just – it’s just ridiculous. And they can do nothing about it. And they try to arrest them when they cross state lines.” This issue was the one democrats were banking on to win the 2024 election by saying that Trump wanted to take away the abortion pill and exceptions for rape, incest, life of the mother.
The issue was slipping away from the Democrats even before the Biden remarks. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey (taken June 18-20 found “that 45% of Likely U.S. voters trust Democrats more to handle abortion, while 43% trust Republicans more. Another 12% are undecided. The Democrats’ advantage on the issue is down from a four-point margin (43% to 39%) in January, and has shrunk drastically since last November, when Democrats led by 11 points on the abortion issue.” With Trump’s clear position and Biden’s feeble fumbling of it, the issue may not be the harbinger for which the democrats were hoping. As is written in Deuteronomy 30:19, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, so that you and your descendants may live.” May all Americans do so.
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