Donald Trump was a pro-life politician but his words indicate that he is no longer one

@ElentirENG ES 9·20·2023 · 7:01 0

One of the clearest proofs of a politician's will to fight the battle of ideas against the left is the defense of life.

This was the largest Pro-Life march in the world, for the first time with an US president
Trump announces the creation of a Pro-Life National Day in the United States: January 22

Trump was a pro-life politician during his term...

During his term, Donald Trump became the most pro-life US president since Ronald Reagan. In fact, in January 2020 he was the first president to participate in the March for la Vida which is celebrated annually in Washington DC. In 2018 he established the National Day for the Sanctity of Human Life, an openly pro-life celebration. In addition, he had a prominent role in the configuration of the Supreme Court that repealed the ruling that made abortion a right in the US. From here I have praised his pro-life positions many times, and that is why today I feel especially upset.

... but now he criticizes pro-life fetal heartbeat laws

Last Sunday, Donald Trump gave an interview to NBC News (can be seen here) in which he avoided saying whether he would sign a ban on abortion at 15 weeks, and also called the pro-life fetal heartbeat laws as "a terrible mistake", laws that are being approved in some states governed by the Republican Party, including Florida, where his great rival Ron DeSantis is governor. The pro-life media LifeSiteNews has published a detailed chronicle of this interview.

Trump wants to satisfy "both parties" with an equidistant solution

Taking an equidistant position, Trump declared: "I think they’re all going to like me, I think both sides are gonna like me.". And what does the former president have in mind to please both parties? Here's how he explained it: "We’re going to agree to a number of weeks or months or however you want to define it, and both sides are going to come together, and both sides, both sides—and this is a big statement—both sides will come together, and for the first time in 52 years you’ll have an issue that we can put behind us."

This is like believing that a conciliatory solution can be adopted between slaveholders and slavery abolitionists. How many years would Trump establish the age of a person to consider that they should not be enslaved? Well, the same thing happens with abortion. Science shows that from the moment of conception, unborn children are human beings, and therefore their right to live should not be curtailed by virtue of a political whim, such as setting certain weeks or months the threshold at which a human being can be freed from a false "right" to be killed and dismembered.

Criticism of Trump from the US pro-life movement

Of course, criticism from the pro-life movement has not been long in coming. Lila Rose, founder and president of the pro-life organization Live Action, has declared that "Trump should not be the GOP nominee." Rose called Trump's statement "pathetic and unacceptable," and noted: "Trump is actively attacking the very pro-life laws made possible by Roe’s overturning. Heartbeat Laws have saved thousands of babies."

Another famous pro-life activist, Abby Johnson, of Americans United for Life (AUL), has noted: "The Republican nominee for President should, at minimum, be able to say that men can’t be women and that it’s wrong to kill children in the womb. We’re not asking him to be a rocket scientist. We’re asking him to be a conservative."

Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, criticized Trump's statements but also the leadership of the Republican Party, with a position similar to that of Trump, accusing her of "disparaging other strategies like common-sense heartbeat legislation". Hawkins added: "Trump gains nothing by this position as Democrats supporting abortion will not vote for anyone who is responsible (in his own words) for reversing Roe. All he has done has it made it very hard for pro-life first voters to dedicate time and money to the 2024 election."

Speaking to LifeNews, Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, has noted: "President Trump’s comments over the weekend have sparked concerns among Catholics over whether he is committed to leading on this issue in the way he did during his first term", adding: "Pro-life Catholic voters helped deliver him the White House in 2016, and a record number of votes in 2020. He cannot expect to win again without these same voters. Any Republican presidential hopeful must draw a clear contrast to the extreme, taxpayer-funded, unlimited abortion agenda of Joe Biden."

Republican Ron DeSantis criticizes Trump and defends pro-life laws

From the Republican Party, the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, responded to Trump this Monday from Iowa Radio: "Donald Trump may think it’s terrible. I think protecting babies with heartbeats is noble and just and I’m proud to have signed the heartbeat bill in Florida and I know Iowa has similar legislation." DeSantis says. "I don’t know how you can even make the claim that you’re somehow prolife if you’re criticizing states for enacting protections for babies that have heartbeats."

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Photo: AP Foto.