By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
In a dramatic turn-around from the Obama Administration, President Trump and his Cabinet have initiated an agenda which makes pro-life policies a top priority.
From filling the Administration with pro-life personnel to directing funding away from Planned Parenthood, the Trump Administration has pursued a consistent and unwavering dedication to ensuring the protection of preborn children and their mothers.
As National Right to Life has noted, President Trump has appointed pro-life advocates throughout the federal government, from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. Both Pompeo and Carson have been strong voices for the sanctity of innocent human life, lending a pro-life pedigree to the Administration.
In a direct reversal of course from the Obama years, President Trump restored the legendary “Mexico City Policy,” which bars taxpayer funds from being awarded to groups that perform or promote abortions overseas. The policy, initiated by the late President Ronald Reagan, is considered a hallmark of pro-life Administrations.
President Trump enthusiastically supports the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which would ban the use of tax dollars for abortion in any federal program. He also backs re-directing federal monies away from Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion operation.
In a State of the Union speech in 2019, the President urged Congress to pass legislation protecting preborn children from the especially heinous tragedy of late-term abortion. He has also promised to “veto any legislation that weakens current pro-life federal policies and laws, or that encourages the destruction of innocent human life at any stage.”
The Trump Administration issued rules in 2018 to ensure that federal Title X funding does not finance facilities performing or counseling for abortion. The Trump team also stopped funding to a United Nations Fund because of its role in China’s monstrous forced abortion project.
But it is in his judicial appointments that the President has built a lasting legacy. He vowed early on in his tenure to appoint only strict constructionists to the federal courts—in other words, judges who would interpret the law and the Constitution as written, rather than acting as a pseudo-legislative body, creating pro-abortion laws from the bench.
Despite a firestorm of pro-abortion-led opposition, the President appointed Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. The two jurists believe in having federal courts interpret the Constitution based on text and not as a “living” document, subject to the whims of individual judges.
President Trump has also embraced the pro-life movement and its leaders, honoring them for their vision and vitality.
As the President stated earlier this year, “The life movement is led by strong women, amazing faith leaders, and brave students who carry on the legacy of pioneers before us who fought to raise the conscience of our nation and uphold the rights of our citizens. You embrace mothers with care and compassion. You are powered by prayer, and motivated by pure, unselfish love.”
He further noted, “When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God’s creation. When we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family. When we watch a child grow, we see the splendor that radiates from each human soul. One life changes the world.”