Conway Urges Republicans To Flip The Script On Abortion

Kellyanne Conway, former counselor to former President Donald Trump, has advice for Republicans struggling to talk about abortion on the campaign trail: flip the script and accuse Democrats of extremism while advocating for policies she views as a compromise, such as a ban on the procedure after 15 weeks with exemptions for rape, incest and threats to the life of the mother.

“I think that to show concession and consensus is really the way to go,” she said.

Speaking at POLITICO’s Health Care Summit on Wednesday, Conway suggested GOP candidates tell Democratic opponents, “You show me your exceptions and I'll show you mine,” adding that she believes a common Republican talking point on the issue is hurting the cause.

“I will not say, and counsel clients again saying, ‘Democrats are for abortion up until the moment of birth,'" Conway said. “You know why that's not the best way to say it? Because nobody knows anybody who is about to give birth and says, ‘You know what? I really don’t like stretch marks. I’m not really ready to have another person in my life. I change my mind.’”

Conway added that President Joe Biden’s decision to edit the word “abortion” from his State of the Union address shows the issue is fraught for Democrats as well as Republicans.

"Is it an ugly word? Do you not want to own it?" she asked.

Conway’s proposal aligns with what Trump has reportedly pushed for, a policy less restrictive than the near-total bans many states have implemented over the last two years but still far more restrictive than Biden’s call for restoring Roe-like protections for abortion up to the point of fetal viability.

Conway also urged Republicans to stay away from ballot initiatives on abortion heading into the 2024 cycle, where the issue could go before voters in as many as a dozen states.

She noted that her own organization has refused to fund efforts that have failed in Kansas, Kentucky and other states since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision to put abortion restrictions in state constitutions. She said that such campaigns were premature as the electorate reeled from the impact of the ruling, arguing that it will take many more years to convince people to adopt such restrictions.

“If it took 50 years to overturn Roe v. Wade, it's going to take more than 50 minutes, 50 hours or 50 weeks to explain to people what that means and more importantly, what it doesn't mean, and to move hearts and minds.”