Former president Donald Trump released a video statement on Monday outlining his policy position on abortion. Trump has shifted significantly over the years on this issue. In 1999, he said he was "very pro-choice." When he ran for president in 2016, he "evolved," saying that he had a pro-life conversion since he observed a friend of his who refused to have an abortion, whose child was now "a total superstar." Today, eight months out from his rematch with President Joe Biden, Trump's position is functionally pro-abortion.
In the video statement, Trump said that he does not support any federal legislative action to stop abortion, that states should decide at what age it's permissible to kill a preborn child, and that he supports abortion in certain cases.
The truth is this: Killing babies is always wrong. President Trump's position is not pro-life.
Trump says that abortion should come down to the "will of the people." But it is not right for democratic societies to hold a vote on the fundamental rights of unpopular minorities. And there is no more unpopular minority today than preborn Americans. Abortion is not about the "will of the people"; it's about respecting the human rights given to us by our creator. Our rights come from God, not the government. Those rights do not change because of the circumstances of our conception. Children conceived in rape do not deserve to be killed. Children conceived in IVF do not deserve to be killed, frozen indefinitely, or subjected to lethal science experiments. Children in the first trimester—or at any age—do not deserve to be destroyed because they are deemed unwanted or inconvenient.
Trump's position also stands in opposition to the Republican Party platform, which for decades has advanced the idea that the federal government has a major role in protecting children from abortion. The most recent GOP platform reads:
The Constitution's guarantee that no one can "be deprived of life, liberty or property" deliberately echoes the Declaration of Independence's proclamation that "all" are "endowed by their Creator" with the inalienable right to life. Accordingly, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to children before birth.
That position represents the views of the vast majority of Republican voters and supporters of former president Trump. It is tragic that he is abandoning this long-held Republican position.
Unfortunately, Trump's new position is not leadership; it's a stab in the back of many of his supporters.
With a leader like this, the GOP has little hope of making meaningful progress to protect preborn children. Trump's mistake will also make it more challenging for the pro-life movement to win statewide referendums.
Human life begins at fertilization. This is the true pro-life position. Human life deserves protection from the moment it begins. The pro-life movement across our nation is strong and growing. Every day, people, especially younger people, are waking up to the truth about the value of human life and the violence of abortion. I implore former president Trump to reject the consultant-driven position to abandon families and children at risk from abortion.
In 2016, Trump won with the help of vigorous pro-life support, and many of his supporters felt vindicated with the appointment of the Justices who overturned Roe v. Wade. But that support will not materialize in 2024 if he holds to this cowardly, anti-human position. Over 2,500 children are killed in our nation every day. They deserve legal protection, and our moment demands a champion who is not afraid to fight for them.
As a supporter of taxpayer-funded abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy for any reason, President Biden has proven to be the most pro-abortion president in our nation's history. Four more years of him in office would be a catastrophe for families and preborn children at risk from abortion. But history will not look kindly upon Trump's capitulation on protecting innocent children from death in the face of a challenge. The election is months away and there is still time for Trump to change course, stand for what's right, and invigorate his base. The question is, will he?
Lila Rose is the founder & president of Live Action, the educational leader of the pro-life movement, dedicated to ending abortion and building a culture of life.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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