By James Oliphant
(Reuters) -Donald Trump said he would outline his long-awaited policy on abortion on Monday, one that he suggested will be a compromise position with the potential to inflame both sides of the debate.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump’s social media platform, the Republican presidential candidate said his policy will include exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother. While Trump did not provide further details, it seems likely that he will call for a federal ban less restrictive than the six-week prohibition passed in states such as Florida and Georgia.
As he has in the past, Trump argued that a more moderate position on abortion is necessary for Republicans to prevail in November’s presidential and congressional elections.
“[W]e must use common sense in realizing 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,” Trump wrote.
The regulation of abortion has been a matter left to individual states since the U.S. Supreme Court did away with constitutional protection for the procedure in a 2022 decision. Since securing the Republican nomination, Trump has been under pressure from anti-abortion groups and others to detail his stance.
A less-stringent proposal than a six-week ban could make those anti-abortion advocates unhappy while at the same time galvanizing abortion-rights groups who have warned that Republicans would seek a federal ban if they gain control of the White House and Congress.
Democratic President Joe Biden has made Trump’s opposition to abortion rights a key tenet of his re-election campaign.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh, Akanksha Khushi and James Oliphant; Editing by Tom Hogue and Shri Navaratnam)
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