Ivanka Trump Hasn't Been Nearly As Open About Abortion As Her Father

As the crackdown on abortion under the Trump administration continues, many people have looked to Ivanka Trump as a symbol of hope. The White House adviser has painted herself as a champion for women and is seen as a stabilizing force in an otherwise chaotic White House. Unfortunately, though, she hasn't been so forthcoming on the issue of reproductive rights. To make matters worse, Ivanka Trump's quotes about abortion aren't even direct responses.

It's especially disappointing because abortion is such a hot issue, as of writing. On May 15, Alabama passed the most restrictive abortion ban in the country, which outlaws the procedure even in cases of rape or incest and makes abortion a felony (reproductive rights advocates have since filed a legal challenge). Other states, like Georgia, have passed "heartbeat bills," which restrict abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, around the sixth-week mark — before many people even know they are pregnant. The bans are said to be a part of a larger strategy by anti-abortion advocates to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision establishing abortion rights, which has everyone talking — well, almost everyone.

The first daughter, who tends to stay away from controversial issues, hasn't publicly addressed the drama, as of writing. She's seemingly only spoken on abortion on one occasion, back in 2016 — but the comments probably aren't even what you'd expect them to be.

While speaking to Boston Public Radio that February, Trump downright dodged a yes-or-no question on abortion. “I don’t talk about my politics,” she said when asked whether she was pro-abortion rights. “I don’t feel like it’s my role, and not the candidate’s. I’m the daughter… I don’t think my politics are relevant to the discussion."

They're probably very relevant now that she and her father have positions in the White House, but Trump still hasn't offered a peep.

She doubled down on her lack of position in October 2016 while speaking at a summit in California. “I don’t express my views on policy, with one exception as it relates to child care and advocating for women, because I never thought I’d have this platform," she said, according to TIME. Oh well. Elite Daily reached out to the White House for comment regarding Trump's stance on abortion and her silence on the issue, but did not hear back by the time of publication.

If reports are to be believed, Trump may be on the same accord as her father, who (at this point) is pretty anti-abortion. The elder Trump's stance on abortion has gone from, as he put it, "very pro-choice" in the 1990s to "strongly pro-life" as of 2019.

Back in April 2017, Cecile Richards, who was the President of Planned Parenthood at the time, released a book that seemingly shed details regarding Trump's stance. Richards wrote about a meeting she reportedly had with Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, during which the couple reportedly tried to strike a deal in which the organization would stop performing abortions in exchange for funding. Richards wrote:

The main issue, [Kushner] explained, was abortion. If Planned Parenthood wanted to keep our federal funding, we would have to stop providing abortions. He described his ideal outcome: a national headline reading ‘Planned Parenthood Discontinues Abortion Services.'

The White House did not return Elite Daily's previous requests for comment on the meeting.

Richards, who had led the organization since 2006 and has since stepped down, reportedly declined the offer. "Our mission is to care for women who need us, and that means caring for all of their reproductive needs — including safe and legal abortion,” she recalled saying.

Who knows whether Trump will ever open up on the subject, but if the past is any indication, it doesn't look likely. The closest we'll probably get is all the (varied) comments her father makes on abortion. What she thinks behind closed doors? Only she knows.