In a video address to the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition on Saturday, former President Donald Trump defended his attempts to curb abortion.
Trump referenced his selection of three justices to the United States Supreme Court (Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett) in his remarks. In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organisation, all three voted in favour of overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalised abortion nationwide.
“Those justices delivered a watershed moment for the protection of innocent life.” Nobody expected it to happen,” the former president stated.
Trump also stated that he had kept his commitments to Iowans and to conservative ideals.
“Together, we achieved more for our values than any other administration in the history of our country, and it is not even close,” he said, adding that he had taken “historic action to protect the unborn.” He also advocated for “religious liberty” and Israel.
The Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America organisation chastised Trump on Thursday for saying abortion “is an issue that should be decided at the state level,” rather than being subject to a nationwide prohibition. “President Trump’s assertion that the Supreme Court returned the issue of abortion solely to the states is a completely inaccurate reading of the Dobbs decision and is a morally indefensible position for a self-proclaimed pro-life presidential candidate to hold,” said President Marjorie Dannenfelser in a statement.
It’s unclear when Trump made his statements, but he didn’t address Dannenfelser’s critique directly.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is expected to run for president in 2024, spoke to the gathering in person in Clive, Iowa. Pence praised Trump for his Supreme Court nominations and outlined his reasoning for supporting American help to Ukraine in speeches that focused primarily on his own religion and devotion.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were among those who spoke to the group.