Millions of Americans watched the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on September 10, 2024. We waited with anticipation to discover what each of them believes around various issues and the plans they’d like to enact if elected.

At PreBorn!, we recognize the importance of knowing the truth as you cast your vote in the upcoming presidential election.

The purpose of this article is not to back any particular political party or candidate, but to shed light on each candidates’ comments and actions regarding each issue so you can make your own prayerful, educated decision.

The Truth about Federal Nationwide Trump Abortion Bans

There are several layers to the dispute of a national abortion ban. First, the context applies to a ban in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at stake. Second, the scope of the ban would be at the federal level and therefore, applied and enforced nationwide.

Harris

“Understand, if Donald Trump were to be reelected, he will sign a national abortion ban.”

“Trump abortion bans that make no exception even for rape and incest.”

Trump

“I believe in the exceptions for rape.”

“I’m not signing a ban.”

“There’s no reason to sign a ban”

“I’m not in favor of abortion ban.”

“Like Ronald Reagan, I am very strongly in favor of exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.”

Our Analysis

Trump has made consistent statements regarding instances in which he feels abortion should be allowed by law.

For example, earlier this year, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a Civil War era law banning abortion from conception, with offenders punishable by two-to-five years in prison, is still enforceable. When a reporter asked if “Arizona went too far,” Trump replied, “Yes they did, and it will be straightened out… I’m sure the Governor and everybody else is going to bring it back into reason.”

Trump calls himself the most pro-life president in history, yet he still supports exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother, as well as early-term abortions. Given statements such as “Even hard-liners are agreeing, 15 weeks seems to be a number that people are agreeing at” may imply that he is looking for a conservative middle ground in hopes of both preventing as many deaths as possible and preventing a stalemate.

The Truth about Third Trimester Abortions

Trump

“[If Harris is elected] You could do abortions in the seventh month, the eighth month, the ninth month, and probably after birth.”

“The governor of Virginia said, ‘We put the baby aside and then we determine what we want to do with the baby’ … He said, ‘the baby will be born, and we will decide what to do with the baby.’ In other words, we’ll execute the baby.’”

Harris

“C’mon.”

“I absolutely support reinstating the protections of Roe v Wade.

“And I pledge to you when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v Wade, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it in to law.”

“Nowhere in America is a woman carrying a pregnancy to term and asking for an abortion. That is not happening.”

Our Analysis

Ralph Northam, the former governor of Virginia, made comments during a radio interview in 2019 in response to a question about if he would “support a third trimester abortion or an abortion as a woman is essentially dilated, ready to give birth.”

“When we talk about third trimester abortions, these are done with the consent of obviously the mother, with the consent of the physicians, more than one physician, by the way, and it’s done in cases where there may be severe deformities, there may be a fetal abnormality.

So, in this, this particular example, if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”

Although Northam’s response is taken out of context, there is a gut-wrenching element of truth: Northam described what would happen in the case of “severe deformities,” which would include infants born alive following an abortion attempt. The reference to keeping the infant comfortable creates a picture of leaving the child to die without treatment, sort of a hospice for the baby.

Trump used it as evidence of how far the pro-choice movement will go to prevent life. While no state or federal law allows for the murder of a newborn baby, the scenario Governor Newham presents certainly sounds like selective, perhaps passive execution by neglect up to and after birth.

But what does this have to do with Kamala Harris?

Harris does not clarify if she would support abortion in the third trimester, only that she would reinstate Roe v Wade. Despite her retort to Trump, “C’mon” to the accusation that she would ever go along with such a thing, her past actions show that she not only would, but she has.

  • In 2019, Harris voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would have required an infant who survived an abortion to receive the same care as any other baby of the same gestational age.
  • In 2019, Harris voted against a bill that forbade federally-funded abortions.
  • Harris co-sponsored a bill to require public health insurance to cover abortion.
  • Harris voted against enforcement efforts of the Trump administration protecting health care providers who refuse to perform or support abortion based on religious or moral beliefs.
  • Harris proposed a plan that would require states to get permission from the Department of Justice to limit abortion access if the state had a history of restricting abortion in the past.
  • Harris co-sponsored the Women’s Health Protection Act, a law prohibiting federal, state, or local governments from implementing a broad range of abortion restrictions or limitations before fetal viability. The bill also expanded the definition of exceptions for the life of the adult and minor mothers, to include “physical, mental, and economic health and well-being, and that of their families.”

The Truth about Maternal Deaths Due to Trump’s Abortion Bans

Harris places full blame on “Trump Abortion Bans,” and even Donald Trump himself, for abortion-related complications and deaths, including recent deaths of two women in Georgia.

Harris

“What you are putting them through is unconscionable.”

“Pregnant women who want to carry a pregnancy to term suffering from a miscarriage, being denied care in an emergency room because the health care providers are afraid they might go to jail and she’s bleeding out in a car in the parking lot. She didn’t want that. Her husband didn’t want that.

A 12- or 13-year-old survivor of incest being forced to carry a pregnancy to term. They don’t want that.”

The following is from a speech Harris gave to the White House Briefing Room on May 1, 2024.

“Let us understand the impact of these bans, the horrific reality that women face every single day. Folks, since Roe was overturned, I have met women who were refused care during a miscarriage. I met a woman who was turned away from an emergency room, and it was only when she developed sepsis that she received care.”

Trump

“Like Ronald Reagan, I am strongly in favor of exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.”

Our Analysis

Trump has always been in favor of exceptions for the life of the mother. The bans were put in place by the elected leaders of each State, not by Trump or his administration. Nearly every case of major complication or death included a menagerie of variables, such as:

  • Medical staff were uncertain about their state’s laws, so they refused care until the mother was septic.
  • The abortions were self-managed, including out-of-state mail-in pills.
  • The autopsy found that one of the Georgia women had fentanyl in her system.

The Truth about Project 2025?

Harris refers to Project 2025 as Donald Trump’s plan for his entire presidency, including abortion policy.

Harris

“Understand in his Project 2025, there would be a national abortion, a monitor that would be monitoring your pregnancies, your miscarriages.”

Trump

“I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”

“This issue [abortion] has now been taken over by the states. … where the people could vote.”

“Each individual state is voting. It’s the vote of the people now. It’s not tied up in the federal government. I did a great service in doing it. It took courage to do it, and the Supreme Court had great courage in doing it, and I give tremendous credit to those six justices.”

The following is a statement released by Trump on April 8, 2024:

“The states will determine by or vote, by legislation or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land, or in this case, the law of the state. Many states will be different. Many will have a different number of weeks, or some will have more conservative than others, and that’s what they will be. At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people.

This 50-year battle over Roe v Wade took it out of the Federal hands and brought it into the hearts, minds, and votes of the people in each state. It was really something. Now it’s up to the States to do the right thing. … You must follow your heart on this issue.”

Our Analysis

Harris’s attribution of Project 2025 to Donald Trump is false. Project 2025 was written by a team at the Heritage Foundation, an independent organization that has researched and proposed conservative policy changes. Some of Heritage’s policy recommendations reflect Trump’s comments on various issues, but many do not.

FAQ

Does Trump support a total abortion ban at the Federal level?

No. Donald Trump does not support a total abortion ban at the Federal level. Instead, he advocates for the issue of abortion to be decided by individual states, allowing the people in each state to vote and determine their own laws.

Does Harris support abortion in the third trimester or after birth?

Yes. While Harris implies she would not support third trimester abortions, she has never explicitly stated so. However, she has either voted for or co-sponsored a list of laws that allow for abortion through the ninth month.

Are Trump abortion bans responsible for maternal deaths following abortion complications?

No. The bans were put into place by elected leaders of each state, not by Donald Trump. The circumstances leading up to each death include many factors, such as physician uncertainty, fentanyl, and self-managed abortions.

Does Project 2025 outline Trump’s abortion policy?

No. Project 2025 includes conservative policy recommendations written by the Heritage Foundation.

Conclusion

Millions of Americans have bled and died to obtain and preserve for the right to vote. As Christians, we have a duty to cherish and act on the right to vote. Sadly, many people don’t vote because it is increasingly difficult to determine who is telling the truth.

We hope this article has provided the truth necessary to free your doubts around Kamala Harris’s and Donald Trump’s abortion policies.

Please join us in prayer for our consciences and our country during this volatile election season. We also ask for your prayers for all of those affected by abortion, along with the most vulnerable among us—preborn babies.