Trump’s New Position Is Not Pro-Life

Former President Donald Trump released a video statement Monday outlining his policy position on abortion. Trump has evolved considerably over the years on this issue. In 1999, he said he was “very pro-choice.” When he ran for president in 2016, he “evolved”, claiming to have converted to pro-life since he observed one of his friends refusing to have an abortion, whose child was now “a total superstar”. Today, eight months after his rematch with President Joe Biden, Trump’s position is functionally pro-abortion.

In the video statement, Trump said he did not support any federal legislation to stop abortion, that states should decide at what age it is permissible to kill an unborn child, and that he supported abortion in some cases.

The truth is: killing babies is always wrong. President Trump’s position is not pro-life.

Trump says abortion should be up to the “will of the people.” But it is not normal for democratic societies to organize a vote on the fundamental rights of unpopular minorities. And there is no minority more unpopular today than unborn Americans. Abortion is not a matter of 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. These rights do not change due to the circumstances of our design. Children conceived through rape do not deserve to be killed. Children conceived through IVF do not deserve to be killed, frozen indefinitely, or subjected to deadly scientific experiments. Children in the first trimester – or at any age – do not deserve to be destroyed because they are deemed unwanted or bothersome.

Trump’s position also opposes the agenda of the Republican Party, which has for decades 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 person shall 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 affirm the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life that cannot be violated. We support an amendment to the Constitution and laws relating to human life to clarify that the protections of the Fourteenth Amendment apply to children before birth.

This position represents the view of the vast majority of Republican voters and supporters of former President Trump. It is tragic that he is abandoning this long-standing Republican position.

Unfortunately, Trump’s new position is not one of leadership; this is a slap in the back of many of his supporters.

With a leader like this, the Republican Party has little hope of making meaningful progress in protecting the unborn. Trump’s mistake will also make it more difficult for the pro-life movement to win statewide referendums.

Human life begins at fertilization. This is the true pro-life position. Human life deserves to be protected from the moment it begins. The pro-life movement across our country is strong and growing. Every day, people, especially young people, become aware of the truth about the value of human life and the violence of abortion. I implore former President Trump to reject the consultants’ position to abandon families and children threatened by abortion.

In 2016, Trump won on vigorous pro-life support, and many of his supporters felt vindicated by the appointment of the judges who overturned the law. Roe v. Wade. But this support will not materialize in 2024 if he maintains this cowardly and anti-human stance. More than 2,500 children are killed every day in our country. 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 during all nine months of pregnancy, regardless of the reason, President Biden has proven himself to be the most pro-abortion president in the history of our country. Four more years of his term would be a catastrophe for families and unborn children at risk of abortion. But history will not look kindly on Trump’s capitulation on protecting innocent children from death in the face of challenge. The election is months away and there is still time for Trump to change course, stand up for what is right, and reinvigorate his base. The question is: will he?

Lila Rose is the founder and president of Live Action, the educational leader of the pro-life movement, dedicated to ending abortion and building a culture of life.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.