(LifeSiteNews) — Former President Donald Trump’s opposition to protecting preborn babies from abortion after six weeks is out of touch with the very people he will need to win in Iowa, according to a new poll.

Trump called Florida’s heartbeat bill a “terrible mistake” during a September Meet the Press interview. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump’s 2024 primary opponent, signed the legislation.

Iowa has a similar law that is pending legal challenges.

A new poll from The Des Moines Register and NBC News found that 52% of likely Republican caucus-goers disagree with Trump’s assessment. The Iowa caucus is scheduled for January 15, 2024.

“Even many of Trump’s supporters aren’t aligned with him on the issue: Among Republicans who say Trump is their first choice, just 40% agree that a six-week ban is a mistake,” the Iowa newspaper reported.

“Forty-one percent of likely Republican caucus-goers say abortion restrictions are an extremely important issue as they evaluate which candidate to support,” the newspaper reported. “Another 38% say the issue is important.”

During the September Meet the Press interview, Trump also said there should be exceptions for babies conceived through rape and incest as well as for the “life” of the mother, a broad loophole that can be used to justify any abortion.

Medical experts confirm an abortion is never medically necessary. Furthermore, a baby’s dignity and human rights are not determined by the circumstances of conception when life begins.

“I have exceptions, by the way. I think people should have exceptions, I think if it’s rape or incest or the life of the mother, I think you have to have exceptions […] and a lot of people, when they don’t have exceptions, now, I will tell you that I think most people, most Republicans are willing, you go life of the mother, rape, incest, I think most of them are there,” Trump said.

He has not committed to even the minimal 15-week federal abortion ban pushed by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

At the same time, a six-week abortion ban would not save all lives and would not address the widespread problem of chemical abortion drugs.

Even states that have seen reductions in reported abortions cannot stop the use of chemical abortion drugs made easily available by President Joe Biden’s administration.

However, the extent to which abortion drugs cancel out abortion restrictions remains a topic of debate.