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Trump moves to contain fallout of abortion, IVF rows
By Mario Deepromoter
Republican White House nominee Donald Trump sought Friday to contain the blast radius of a fierce backlash over his remarks publicly backing away from right-wing positions on reproductive rights.
The ex-president has been under fire from conservatives over an announcement that in a second term, he would ensure free in vitro fertilization (IVF) — an expensive fertility procedure that many in the anti-abortion movement want to see curbed.
The rift widened as he hit out at his home state Florida’s six-week abortion ban, calling it too restrictive and suggesting he planned to vote for an upcoming ballot measure that would make the procedure legal until a fetus becomes viable.
Trump, 78, walked back the comment ahead of a rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Friday, telling Fox News that “I will be voting no.”
But conservatives had already begun criticizing Trump’s ever-shifting positions on abortion, with a new Republican policy platform dropping calls for a national ban and the tycoon’s recent claim that his government would be “great” for reproductive rights.
The pushback from anti-abortion groups on his latest remarks was swift, with activists warning that he risks alienating his base.
Evangelical theologian Albert Mohler said Trump’s positions appeared “almost calculated to alienate pro-life voters” while conservative commentator Erick Erickson posted that Trump’s abortion stance “will be a bridge too far for too many.”
Trump’s rally, in Johnstown, was notable for the absence of any remarks on reproductive rights, despite Thursday’s big IVF announcement.
The campaign of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris was happy to weigh in on the issue, smelling blood in the water.
“The majority of Americans support abortion access, they support IVF, they support contraception,” Mini Timmaraju, of the Reproductive Freedom for All lobby group, told reporters in a campaign call.
“(Trump) has finally figured it out, and he’ll do anything to distract from his abysmal, horrifying record on this issue.”
– ‘He is pro-life’ –
Trump has been all over the map on abortion in the last 15 years, initially describing himself as “pro-choice” before calling for “some form of punishment” for women seeking the procedure.
He boasts about appointing Supreme Court justices who ended federal protections for abortion access in 2022 but has more recently begun to worry that Republicans are out of step with the majority of voters on reproductive rights.
His IVF pledge appeared calculated to appeal to moderates but will upset conservatives who for years opposed Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act because they were against the redistributive economics of taxpayer-funded health insurance.
Almost every Senate Republican voted against assuring IVF access in a vote in June — including Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance — and more than half of the House Republican lawmakers have sponsored legislation that threatens its legality.
Republicans are divided on fertility treatments such as IVF, with many hailing them as a boost to American families.
Others, with strong beliefs that life begins at conception, oppose IVF because the procedure can produce multiple embryos, not all of which get used.
Abortion rights activists worry that the Supreme Court decision threatens IVF and were given cause by a February ruling in Alabama that frozen embryos could be considered people, causing several clinics to briefly pause treatments.
Yet if the abortion and IVF rows threatened to alienate Trump’s most loyal supporters, rally-goers in Johnstown weren’t showing it.
“It’s not enough to make me not vote for him, no way, because he is pro-life,” said Lisa Davis, a 54-year-old retired office manager from the nearby town of Somerset.
“I know he wants to give some exceptions — and I think there should be.”
“Why should I pay with my tax dollars for a baby getting killed?” added retired nurse Rosemary Drzal, 69.
A fireside chat-style appearance at the conservative pressure group Moms for Liberty later Friday did not touch on the issue.
President Bola Tinubu has said that the 2025 budget forecasts that inflation will decline from current 34.6% to 15% next year.
He said this during his presentation of the N47.9 trillion 2025 budget proposal to a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday.
The President also said that the exchange rate will improve from approximately N1,700 per dollar to N1,500.
According to Tinubu, “this is an ambitious but necessary budget to secure our future.”
“The Budget projects inflation will decline from the current rate of 34.6 per cent to 15 per cent next year, while the exchange rate will improve from approximately 1,700 naira per US dollar to 1,500 naira, and a base crude oil production assumption of 2.06 million barrels per day,”Tinubu said.
He said the budget projections are based upon observations such as reduction of petroleum products importation, increased export of finished petroleum products, bumper harvest driven by enhanced security, reducing reliance on food imports, among others.
Tinubu listed highlights of the budget to include defence and security – N4.91tn, infrastructure – N4.06tn, health – N2.4tn, education – N3.5tn, among others.
Nigerians are grappling with economic hardship following incessant increase in inflation and volatile exchange rate that has seen dollar exchange as high as N1,700 in recent days.
On Monday, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose to 34.60% in November 2024 from 33.88% in October 2024.
The November inflation rate showed an increase of 0.72% points compared to the October 2024 inflation rate, according to NBS’s latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report which measures the rate of change in prices of goods and services.
“On a year-on-year basis, the Headline inflation rate was 6.40% points higher than the rate recorded in November 2023 (28.20%). This shows that the Headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in November 2024 compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., November 2023),” the Bureau said.
Significantly, food inflation rate in November 2024 was 39.93% on a year-on-year basis, 7.08% points higher than the rate recorded in November 2023 (32.84%).
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Oguduokwor Ward in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has formally announced the expulsion of the suspended National Vice Chairman (NVC) of the party in the Southeast, Mr. Ali Odefa from the party.
Ali Odefa was suspended from the party on September 11, 2024 by the Ward Executives of the party for his engagement in various anti party activities. The Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki while ruling on suit NO: FHC/AI/CS/182/2024 further affirmed the suspension on November 29, 2024.
Announcing the expulsion of Mr. Odefa at a well- attended press conference on Wednesday, the Acting Chairman of the PDP Oguduokwor, Hon. Onyedikachi Herbert Ovuta flanked by other Ward Executives stated that the expulsion of the erstwhile NVC follows the recommendation of the Party’s disciplinary committee that affirmed the allegations of anti-party activities leveled.
According to the party chairman, “The expulsion of Chief Ali Odefa follows the report, findings and recommendations of the Ward Disciplinary Committee of the party which is in line with the provisions of the party constitution.”
The party announced that Mr. Ali Odefa by the virtue of his suspension, therefore “ceases to be a member of the party.”
The party’s statement reads in part:
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oguduokowor Ward, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State hereby announce the expulsion of Chief Ali Odefa, the suspended National Vice Chairman of the PDP, South East Zone from the party which takes immediate effect.
“The expulsion of Chief Ali Odefa follows the report, findings and recommendations of the Ward Disciplinary Committee of the party which is in line with the provisions of the party constitution.
“Recall that Chief Ali Odefa was suspended from the party by the Ward leadership on 11th September 2024.
“Consequent upon the judgement of the Federal High Court Abakaliki in suit number FHC/AI/CS/182/2024 which affirmed the suspension of Chief Ali Odefa, the Disciplinary Committee of PDP Oguduokwor Ward after their sittings on the above subject matter unanimously recommended that Chief Ali Odefa the Suspended PDP National Vice Chairman South East Zone be expelled from the party.
“The Executive Committee of PDP Oguduokwor Ward on 11th December 2024 after receiving the report, findings and recommendations of the Disciplinary Committee of PDP Oguduokwor Ward unanimously approved the expulsion of Chief Ali Odefa from the party which is compliance to section 58(1) and section 59(1) of the PDP constitution.
“Henceforth Chief Ali Odefa, seizes to be a member of our party the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
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