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FACT BRIEF

Does Donald Trump 'want to criminalize women' who get an abortion?

By Tom Kertscher
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NO

In his 2024 presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump has said states should decide whether, in certain instances, to prosecute women who get an abortion.

In April, Trump said in a video that states should determine abortion law and that he supports exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. He told Time magazine that states should decide whether women who get an abortion after a specified number of weeks should be prosecuted.

The criminalization claim was made in a TV ad featuring a Wisconsin woman that was released May 13, 2024, by American Bridge 21st Century, a Democratic super PAC.

The ad cited Trump’s 2016 comment while campaigning in Wisconsin that “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who get an abortion.

Later that day, Trump’s campaign said Trump meant to say that if abortion were outlawed, doctors who perform abortions should be punished.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Truth Social Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
Time magazine Read the Full Transcripts of Donald Trump's Interviews with Time
American Bridge 21st Century AB21 Ads Spring 2024: Anna
PolitiFact In Context: Transcript of Donald Trump on punishing women for abortion
NBC News A timeline of Trump's many, many positions on abortion
Washington Post Democratic group starts attacking Trump with abortion rights testimonials
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.