In many ways since he was elected in 2016, President Trump has shown himself to be an advocate for unborn babies, their mothers and the pro-life movement. Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, who served as chair of President Trump’s Pro-Life Coalition, explained, “From stopping taxpayer funding of abortion and of experimentation involving aborted baby body parts, to protecting conscience rights, to calling out extremist Democrats who support abortion-on-demand through birth and even infanticide, to his two outstanding Supreme Court justices and transformation of the federal courts, President Trump has beyond delivered on his promises to the pro-life voters who propelled him to victory in 2016.”
JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS
As of July, President Trump has nominated and the Senate has confirmed seven conservative judges to the liberal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
At this rate, President Trump is on track to nominate enough judges to replace 30 percent of the federal branch. Missouri’s Republican Senator Josh Hawley praised the president saying, “President Trump took a pledge. He said, ‘I’m going to nominate conservative, pro-Constitution, pro-life judges to the bench. And he’s done exactly that.’”
On September 11, the Senate confirmed President Trump’s 150th judicial nominee, eclipsing a record number of confirmations at this point in any president’s term. It includes 105 federal district court judges, 43 circuit court judges and 2 Supreme Court justices.
CONSCIENCE PROTECTIONS
In May, President Trump issued new rules through the Department of Health and Human Services ensuring that no doctor or nurse will be forced to violate their conscience by participating in abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.
Although the Constitution and other federal laws have provided protections for conscience rights of medical professionals, these laws were being violated. “We have hospitals trying to bully nurses or doctors into performing or assisting in abortions against their will and in violation of federal law,” explained Roger Severino, who runs the Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights.
Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebr.) insists, “The whole point of the First Amendment, especially the free exercise of religion, is to protect the conscience rights of Americans. SBA List Dannenfelser explains, “Abortion is not health care and no health care professional should ever be forced to participate in the destruction of human life.”
In early November, New York federal Judge Paul Engelmayer struck down the Trump administration’s conscience regulations, which were scheduled to go into effect on November 22. However, he denied the plaintiffs’ claim that the rule amounted to a state establishment of religion, leaving the door open for a redrafted rule that could survive a court challenge.
TITLE X FUNDING
Last May, the Trump administration announced changes to the rules which oversee the Title X Family Planning Program whose grants help low-income people to access birth control, cancer screenings, STI tests and other health services. The new rule, known as the Protect Life Rule, prohibits grantees from promoting or performing abortions in the same facility that provides Title X services, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are not indirectly subsidizing abortions. In August, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the regulations and Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion facility, withdrew from the Title X program, refusing to comply with the new rules and giving up about $60 million in taxpayer funding.
The money was redistributed to other groups that practice legitimate women’s health care. In late September, $33.6 million was disbursed to other grantees who serve women in 4,000 Title X service sites in communities across the country.
SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser explained, “The Protect Life Rule does not cut family planning funding by a single dime, and instead directs tax dollars to entities that provide healthcare to women but do not perform abortions. The Title X program was not intended to be a slush fund for abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood.”
Other Trump actions include:
In one of his first pro-life actions as president, Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy which prohibits taxpayer funding to groups that promote or provide abortions overseas, defunding Planned Parenthood’s international arm of about $100 million dollars.
In 2017 Trump stopped giving American tax dollars to UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), which pushes abortion in other countries and has worked with China for decades to implement its forced abortion policies. He renewed the order again in 2018 and 2019, cutting $32.5 million in funding from the UNFPA budget.
When New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Reproductive Health Act last January, eliminating limits on third-trimester abortions, Trump expressed outrage and renewed his call for Congress to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to limit late-term abortions.
Trump supports further restrictions on aborted fetal tissue research.
The Trump administration has opposed radical pro-abortion policies at the United Nations, saying, “We in America believe that every child, born and unborn, is a sacred gift from God.”
If every child is a sacred gift how could we separate ANY child from their parent and STILL not reunite them! It is a TRUMPpolicy that he STILL stands by. As a prolifer I cannot be hypocritical– how can we justify supporting this?!