Trump-Vance Ticket Expresses A More Moderate Note On Abortion

Politico: Trump’s Pledge To Be ‘Great For Women And Their Reproductive Rights’ Angers Advocates
Donald Trump attempted to strike a new tone on the issue of abortion this week, saying he would be “great for women and their reproductive rights” — to the frustration of anti-abortion advocates. The former president invoked the phrase in a post on Truth Social on Friday, reflecting his campaign’s frenzied attempt to reset the narrative in the race against Vice President Kamala Harris and present more moderately on the issue of abortion, which has plagued Republicans electorally since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. (Piper, 8/24)

AP: Trump Would Veto Legislation Establishing A Federal Abortion Ban, Vance Says
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance says Donald Trump would not support a national abortion ban if elected president and would veto such legislation if it landed on his desk. “I can absolutely commit that,” Vance said when asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” whether he could commit to Trump not imposing such a ban. “Donald Trump’s view is that we want the individual states and their individual cultures and their unique political sensibilities to make these decisions because we don’t want to have a nonstop federal conflict over this issue.” (Colvin, 8/25)

The Hill: Elizabeth Warren On Trump-Vance Pledge To Veto Abortion Ban: ‘American Women Are Not Stupid’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Sunday pushed back against Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) ... “American women are not stupid, and we are not going to trust the futures of our daughters and granddaughters to two men who have openly bragged about blocking access to abortion for women all across this country,” Warren said in an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” when asked about Vance, the GOP vice presidential nominee, saying he thinks Trump would veto a ban. (Fortinsky, 8/25)

The Wall Street Journal: Kamala Harris Says Republicans Are 'Out Of Their Minds' On Abortion
Vice President Kamala Harris had a sharp line about Republicans who back abortion restrictions: “They are out of their minds.” Harris blamed former President Donald Trump for appointing three justices to the Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade. She said she has heard harrowing stories from families in states with restrictive laws and argued that Republicans will continue to work to block access. “Why exactly is it that they don’t trust women?” she said. (Lucey, 8/23)

The New York Times: Abortion Rights, On Winning Streak, Face Biggest Test In November
Ballot measures on abortion rights have succeeded beyond what even their proponents imagined when the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. ... Now the strategy — and an unbroken winning streak — faces its biggest test ever, with 10 states asking voters whether to establish a right to abortion in their constitutions. On Friday, Nebraska became the final state to certify — it will be the only state with two measures, one sponsored by abortion rights supporters and the other by opponents. (Zernike, 8/23)

In other reproductive health news —

Arkansas Advocate: Arkansas Abortion Amendment Off The Ballot Due To Paperwork Errors
A proposed Arkansas constitutional amendment that would have created a limited right to abortion will not be on the statewide November ballot, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 ruling Thursday. The reason, the court said, is that supporters did not submit the correct paperwork to Secretary of State John Thurston’s office at the right time. (Vrbin, 8/22)

Missouri Independent: Lawsuit Seeks To Knock Abortion Amendment Off Missouri's Ballot 
A pair of Republican state legislators and an anti-abortion activist filed a lawsuit Thursday asking a judge to block an abortion-rights constitutional amendment from appearing on the Nov. 5 ballot. State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, state Rep. Hannah Kelly and Kathy Forck sued last year challenging the cost estimate for a proposed constitutional amendment rolling back Missouri’s ban on abortion. The campaign behind the proposal ultimately turned in enough signatures to earn a spot on the November ballot, where it is set to appear as Amendment 3. (Hancock, 8/23)

AP: Judge Declines To Order New York To Include ‘Abortion’ In Description Of Ballot Measure
A New York judge said Friday he won’t force state election officials to tell voters that a proposed antidiscrimination amendment to the state’s constitution would protect abortion rights, dealing a blow to Democrats who pushed for the change. The decision from Judge David A. Weinstein came in a lawsuit over the language that voters will see on ballots this November explaining what the proposed Equal Rights Amendment would do if passed. (Hill and Izaguirre, 8/24)

Reuters: NY Crisis Pregnancy Centers Can Speak About 'Abortion Pill Reversal,' Judge Rules
U.S. District Judge John Sinatra in Buffalo, New York, wrote in a preliminary order, opens new tab late on Thursday that the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment guarantee of free speech protects the right of Gianna's House, Options Care Center and the National Institute for Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) to "speak freely" about abortion pill reversal and "to say that it is safe and effective for a pregnant woman to use in consultation with her doctor." (Pierson, 8/23)

The Hill: Nebraska Voters To Decide On Two Competing Abortion Initiatives
Nebraska voters will see two competing questions about abortion on the ballot in November after activists on both sides of the issue met the signature requirements needed, the state’s top election official said Friday. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen (R) said this year is the first time rival initiatives will appear on the same ballot. (Weixel, 8/23)

KFF Health News: Her Life Was At Risk. She Needed An Abortion. Insurance Refused To Pay
Ashley and Kyle were newlyweds in early 2022 and thrilled to be expecting their first child. But bleeding had plagued Ashley from the beginning of her pregnancy, and in July, at seven weeks, she began miscarrying. The couple’s heartbreak came a few weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion. In Wisconsin, their home state, an 1849 law had sprung back into effect, halting abortion care except when a pregnant woman faced death. (Varney, 8/26)