October 9, 2020

The Presidential Record on Life

President Donald J. Trump 

2017-present 

"America, when it is at its best, follows a set of rules that have worked since our Founding. One of those rules is that we, as Americans, revere life and have done so since our Founders made it the first, and most important, of our 'unalienable' rights." 

-President Donald J. Trump 

Supreme Court: President Trump has appointed Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. These appointments are consistent with the belief that federal courts should enforce the rights truly based on the text and history of the Constitution. 

Appointments: President Trump has appointed numerous pro-life advocates in his administration and cabinet including Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. 

Mexico City Policy: President Trump restored the "Mexico City Policy," which prevents tax funds from being given to organizations that perform abortions or lobby to change the abortion laws of host countries. He later expanded the policy to prevent $9 billion in foreign aid from being used to fund the global abortion industry. 

Defunding Planned Parenthood: President Trump supports directing funding away from Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. In a September 2016 letter to pro life leaders, he noted that “I am committed to... defunding Planned Parenthood as long as they continue to perform abortions, and re-allocating their funding to community health centers that provide comprehensive health care for women." 

Abortion Funding: In 2017, President Trump issued a statement affirming his strong support for the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, saying he "would sign the bill.” The bill would permanently prohibit any federal program from funding elective abortion. 

Funding Abortion Providers: In 2018, President Trump's Health and Human Services Department issued regulations to ensure Title X funding does not go to facilities that perform or refer for abortions. In 2017 President Trump signed a resolution into law that overturned an eleventh-hour regulation by the Obama administration that prohibited states from defunding certain abortion facilities in their federally funded family planning programs. 

International Abortion Advocacy: The Trump Administration cut off funding for the United Nations Population Fund due to that agency's involvement in China's forced abortion program. Additionally, President Trump instructed the Secretary of State to apply pro-life conditions to a broad range of health related U.S. foreign aid. 

Protecting the Unborn: President Trump supports the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. This legislation extends protection to unborn children who are at least 20 weeks because by this point in development (and probably earlier), the unborn have the capacity to experience excruciating pain during typical abortion procedures. 

Protecting Pro-Life Policies: President Trump has pledged "to veto any legislation that weakens current pro-life federal policies and laws, or that encourages the destruction of innocent human life at any state."