Trump moves to contain fallout from abortion, IVF rows

His backing away from right-wing positions on reproductive rights sparks fierce backlash

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Republican White House nominee Donald Trump sought on Aug 30 to contain the fallout from a fierce backlash over his remarks backing away from right-wing positions on reproductive rights.

The former US president has been under fire from conservatives over an announcement that in a second term, he would ensure free in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) an expensive fertility procedure that many in the anti-abortion movement want to see curbed.

The rift widened as he hit out at his home state Florida's six-week abortion ban, calling it too restrictive and suggesting he planned to vote for an upcoming ballot measure that would make the procedure legal until a foetus becomes viable.

Trump, 78, walked back the comment ahead of a rally in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Aug 30, telling Fox News that "I will be voting no".

But conservatives had already begun criticising Trump's evershifting positions on abortion, with a new Republican policy platform dropping calls for a national ban and the tycoon's recent claim that his government would be "great" for reproductive rights.

The pushback from anti-abortion groups on his latest remarks was swift, with activists warning that he risks alienating his base.