Trump says he’s ‘looking at’ restricting access to contraception

Donald Trump has said he is “looking at” policy that may restrict access to contraception in some states, and promised a “very comprehensive policy” on the issue shortly.

The former president was asked during an interview in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, if he was in favour of restrictions on an individual’s right to contraception. He did not rule out the possibility.

"We’re looking at that, and I’m going to have a policy on that very shortly and I think it’s something that you’ll find interesting,” Mr Trump said, adding that the “very comprehensive policy” would be released “within a week or so”.

“You will find it, I think, very smart. It’s a very smart decision,” he said.

However, shortly after reporting of his remarks circulated in the media, Mr Trump furiously back-peddled, posting a typically capitalised message to his social media platform Truth Social, denying the claims – which he described as a “Democrat fabricated lie”.

“I HAVE NEVER, AND WILL NEVER ADVOCATE IMPOSING RESTRICTIONS ON BIRTH CONTROL, or other contraceptives,” he wrote.

“This is a Democrat fabricated lie, MISINFORMATION/DISINFORMATION, because they have nothing else to run on except FAILURE, POVERTY, AND DEATH. I DO NOT SUPPORT A BAN ON BIRTH CONTROL, AND NEITHER WILL THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!”

In Tuesday’s interview with Pittsburgh’s KDKA, Mr Trump said he would leave the issue of access to contraception up to individual states. "Things really do have a lot to do with the states and some states are going to have different policies than others,” he said.

Those remarks echo ones made previously by the former president on hot-button topics including abortion. He has also made claims of imminent policy announcements before.

In an interview with Time last month, Mr Trump said that, if he wins the 2024 election, he would leave it to individual states with strict abortion bans to monitor pregnancies and decide when further action may be warranted. This would include whether or not to criminally prosecute individuals.

During his first term, Mr Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices to the court who later overturned Roe v Wade, the landmark ruling that had enshrined reproductive rights across America for half a century. Since then, more than 20 states have put in place full or partial abortion bans.

In the Time interview he said he would be making a “big statement” on whether women should have access to birth control drug mifepristone in “the next 14 days.”

The interview was published 21 days ago on April 30, and the former president has yet to make a statement as promised.

In response to Tuesday’s remarks on contraception access, Biden-Harris spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika said: “Women across the country are already suffering from Donald Trump’s post-Roe nightmare, and if he wins a second term, it’s clear he wants to go even further by restricting access to birth control and emergency contraceptives.”

In the statement, shared with NBC, she added, “It’s not enough for Trump that women’s lives are being put at risk, doctors are being threatened with jail time, and extreme bans are being enacted with no exceptions for rape or incest.

“He wants to rip away our freedom to access birth control too.”

In a statement shared with The Independent, Jessica Siles, a spokesperson for advocacy group Voters of Tomorrow said: “First, Donald Trump stripped away our abortion rights. Now he is coming for contraceptives, including morning-after pills, which millions of women use to prevent unwanted pregnancies and address other health issues. We will never, ever let this happen.

“This has always been about exerting control over women. In November, young people have the power to decide what our future looks like. And we envision a future where we alone, and certainly not Donald Trump, have the freedoms to make our own personal and medical decisions.

“We plan to make as many Gen Z voters as possible hear these threats from Donald Trump to take away contraceptives. Every time he threatens our rights, another member of Gen Z decides to vote against these attacks on our generation.”

The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign for comment about the remarks made on Tuesday by the former president.