Donald Trump on Monday said he would not enforce the Comstock Act of 1873 to restrict sending medication abortion by mail, as some of his supporters have demanded.
“No. We will be discussing specifics of it, but generally speaking, no, I would not,” the Republican presidential nominee said in Michigan, when CBS News’ Caitlin Huey-Burns asked him in an exclusive interview whether he would enforce the 19th century law.
The Comstock Act of 1873 prohibits using mail carriers such as the United States Postal Service to mail “obscene” materials. Some anti-abortion advocates have interpreted that to mean that Trump, should he return to the Oval Office, could use the law to restrict the mailing of drugs and materials that are used for abortions, even in states where abortions are legal. Critics contest that such a move would amount to a federal abortion ban. Medication abortions account for a majority of abortions in the United States.
“Should medication abortion be widely available?” Huey-Burns asked.
“Well, it's going to be available, and it is now,” Trump responded.
