Trump Puts Abortion Front and Center in Iowa Speech After Being Slammed

Donald Trump put abortion front and center of a speech before evangelicals in Iowa, following a rebuke by the nation's leading anti-abortion group.

Appearing via video to a gathering of the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, Trump called himself the "most pro-life president" in U.S. history.

He listed his actions while he was president to restrict abortion rights, most notably, his nomination of three conservative judges to the U.S. Supreme Court, which paved the way for the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year.

"Those justices delivered a landmark victory for protecting innocent life," Trump said. "Nobody thought it was going to happen. They thought it would be another 50 years because Republicans had been trying to do it for exactly that period of time, 50 years."

He added: "I will stand proudly in defense of innocent life, just as I did for four very powerful, strong years because every child, born and unborn, is a sacred gift from God."

Trump had previously avoided talking about abortion as he makes another bid for the White House.

The Washington Post reported last week that Trump believes the issue should be left up to individual states, not the federal government. According to the newspaper, he has told advisers that the issue is difficult for Republicans and not one that he should focus on.

Trump believes "the Supreme Court, led by the three Justices which he supported, got it right when they ruled this is an issue that should be decided at the State level," Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement to the Post.

That prompted Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America to release a statement on Thursday, criticizing Trump by name.

"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," Marjorie Dannenfelser, the organization's president, said.

"Life is a matter of human rights, not states' rights."

Dannenfelser added that the organization will not support any presidential candidate who does not at a minimum back a 15-week federal abortion ban.

Trump did not take a stance on a national ban on Saturday.

His former vice president Mike Pence also trumpeted Trump's efforts to restrict abortion when he spoke at the gathering in person earlier on Saturday evening.

He told reporters during a stop in Jefferson, Iowa, earlier on Saturday that the Supreme Court's ruling does not bar federal restrictions on abortion.

"I'll certainly support efforts to create a threshold of support for the unborn even at the national level," Pence said, according to The Associated Press.

Pence said he would support "the minimum of a 15-week ban."

Newsweek has contacted Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and the Trump campaign for further comment via email.