Trump takes firm action to affirm life
By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet/Shaken Terra
For decades, the Catholic Church has issued warning after warning, pointing to the urgent need to base global development upon the rock-solid foundation of a correct moral worldview that prioritizes the intrinsic dignity of every human being and recognizes the importance of strong families.
President Donald J. Trump, during his first weeks in office, took significant actions to defend human life and advance pro-life policies. His first executive order (memorandum) reinstates the Mexico City Policy, a long-standing ban on government funding of foreign organizations that provide and promote abortions.
The rule, which was first enacted by President Ronald Regan in 1985, renders international pro-abortion groups ineligible for U.S. funding unless they agree to stop promoting or committing abortions. It cuts off U.S. aid to any foreign organization that provides abortion services, counseling, or advocacy. The order also directs the Secretary of State to “ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars do not fund organizations or programs that support or participate in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.”
Foreign Policies for Life
In his first term, President Trump extended the ban to include organizations that comply with the rule but give money to others that don’t. It applied not only to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department but to other agencies distributing foreign health assistance. This meant that U.S. taxpayer dollars were not used to promote and subsidize abortion internationally. This decision helped to save thousands of preborn lives from abortion.
In a second executive order, not only does President Trump reinstate his previous administration’s directives regarding the Hyde Amendment, he also ensures its rule is embedded into federal policy and programs. He suspended all foreign aid funding for 90 days while programs are reviewed. This action, as detailed in the order, aims to rescind four years of “federal over-reach” by former President Joe Biden’s administration that categorized abortion as “healthcare” and sought on the federal level to expand abortion access after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Both of Biden’s executive orders sought to embed federal funding of abortion within government programs, which violated the Hyde Amendment. Trump’s orders now rectify these issues and reestablishes our commitment as a nation to protecting life on the international stage, thus restoring our role as leaders on the issue of promoting and defending human dignity.
The reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy was one of a flurry of executive orders issued by President Trump during his first week in office that advocates for the protection of human life. He disabled Joe Biden’s pro-abortion web site, reproductiverights.gov, that was created in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe.
LiveAction declared on Twitter: "President Trump has shut down the pro-abortion HHS website"
Defining Truth as Law
In Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, President Trump not only recognizes that there are two genders, male and female, rejecting the idea that gender is distinct from biological sex, he also communicates that life begins at conception (fertilization):
…“Female” means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell.
…“Male” means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the small reproductive cell.
It is not hard to realize the implications of the president’s use of words. The language affirms that sex is biologically determined at conception and is immutable. Here, we have the reassertion of science – gender is biologically determined and cannot be altered and life begins at the moment of fertilization. And Trump’s choice of words, including the use of “person,” strengthens the argument that preborn children are human beings deserving of legal protections at every stage of development, beginning with fertilization.
Trump at March For Life
President Trump also participated in the 52nd March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Friday, January 24th. During a pre-recorded video speech reaffirming his administration’s dedication to pro-life initiatives, the president proclaimed that “every child is a beautiful gift.” He acknowledged the unyielding commitment and heroic sacrifices of pro-lifers and thanked them for their “tireless efforts” that have borne fruit. He said, “the nation is grateful for your unwavering stand for life.” And because life remains threatened, the president reminded us that there is still work to be done, saying that we must “stand up for little babies who can’t stand up for themselves.” He pledged his administration’s support and affirmed our vision for society saying, “Your mission is just very, very pure: to forge a society that welcomes and protects every child as a beautiful gift from the hand of our Creator.”
"I know your hearts are warm and your spirits are strong because your mission is just, very, very pure: to forge a society that welcomes and protects every child as a beautiful gift from the hand of our Creator." - President Donald Trump.
On the day of the March for Life, President Trump granted pardons for 23 pro-life advocates who were being prosecuted by the Biden Department of Justice under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. These fellow pro-lifers, some of whom were serving federal sentences, were convicted for blocking access to and temporarily shutting down abortion clinics. They were unjustly convicted for exercising their free speech rights to peacefully witness to the value of human life and protest against the injustice of abortion.
“Life is the first good received from God and is fundamental to all others; to guarantee the right to life for all and in an equal manner for all is the duty upon which the future of humanity depends.” ― Pope Benedict XVI, Pontifical Academy for Life, 2007
When presenting the president with the executive order for his signature, his secretary said, “We have a set of pardons for peaceful pro-life protesters, who were prosecuted by the Biden administration for exercising their First Amendment rights.” President Trump responded saying, “Twenty-three people were prosecuted. They should not have been prosecuted – many of them are elderly people. This is a great honor to sign this.”
In conjunction with the pardoning of pro-lifer protesters, the Trump administration announced plans to limit the enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, arguing that it has been used to target pro-life activists unfairly. The FACE Act has been used unjustly against people of faith and pro-lifers to intimidate and punish, violating their rights of conscience, free speech, and religious expression. This decision reflects the administration’s stance on protecting the rights of individuals engaging in peaceful protest outside abortion facilities. These pardons help to fulfill Trump’s promise to end the weaponization of the government that undermines the constitutional freedoms of law-abiding citizens.
Life Saving Words From Vance
Vice President J.D. Vance participated in the March for Life in person. Speaking about his pro-life convictions as a Catholic father and promising that the Trump administration will continue to uphold pro-life policies, the vice president said, “Let me say very simply: I want more babies in the United States of America,” adding: "I want more happy children in our country. And I want beautiful young men and women who are eager to welcome them into the world and eager to raise them. And it is the task of our government to make it easier for young moms and dads to afford to have kids, to bring them into the world, and to welcome them as blessings."
The vice president also mentioned the Trump administration’s proposal to increase the child tax credit and support for the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act,” which every Democrat in the U.S Senate recently voted against. This legislation will guarantee equal protection under the law for “any infant born alive after an abortion.” It will require doctors to provide lifesaving health care to infants who are born after a failed abortion attempt.
Government Pro-Life Presence
Several pro-life and national leaders also addressed the nearly 100 thousand participants gathered for the rally before the march, revealing that the new administration holds a different view regarding the dignity of human life. Most notable were the appearances of the House Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader, which was the first time this occurred in the history of the March.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a strong advocate for life, pledged to do all he could in the House of Representatives to protect innocent life. In his address, Speaker Johnson shared that he was conceived from an “unplanned teen pregnancy.” He affirmed the value of every life and the need to support mothers in need. “I am so eternally grateful that my mom and dad ignored all the people who told them to just ‘take care of that problem,’” said the Speaker. He expressed heartfelt gratitude to his parents for choosing “to embrace life and to have me, the first of their four children.”
His comments not only affirm the decision of every mother and father who chooses life for their child, but also the heroic work of pregnancy care centers and maternity homes that serve moms in need. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he was inspired to be at the rally and bear witness to the beauty and the goodness of every human life. He encouraged participants to remember that they “are part of a great movement, united around the truth that every life is precious, and every human being is created in the image and likeness of God and has infinite value and worth.”
And Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, with his wife and three young children at his side, reminded the nation that “the sanctity of life does not depend on poll results. It doesn’t depend on which way the wind is blowing.” The governor boldly said, “it’s an enduring truth and it represents the foundation of our society….”
Saving Lives One Law at a Time
President Trump also issued a statement endorsing a Congressional bill (H.R. 21) – “Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” – that would protect preborn children who survive abortions. Recently Senate Democrats voted against a bill to protect children “born alive” during attempted abortions. And finally, President Trump signed the Geneva Consensus Declaration that confirms there is no right to abortion. It commits the U.S. “to supporting families, promoting women’s health, and protecting children at all stages of life.” The Declaration has four main objectives:
…to secure meaningful health and development gains for women; to protect life at all stages; to defend the family as the fundamental unit of society; and to work together across the UN system to realize these values.
What an amazing first two weeks, but let’s not stop. There is much more to do.
It is extremely encouraging to see the Trump administration pushing back against the anti-life mentality that tragically dominates our nation’s mindset, which shapes our politics, policies, programs, and laws—both domestically and internationally. Far too many people remain ignorant of the fact that a great deal of U.S. foreign policy is poisoned by a commitment to exporting coercive population control, built upon contraception and legal abortion, in order to “protect” U.S. interests. The U.S. wields enormous influence, and it is fitting that the Trump administration should use that power to protect national sovereignty and the rights of the most innocent and defenseless.
A Pro-Life Change
The Trump administration demonstrates that bad policies (and laws) can be changed—what initiatives that advance human flourishing can be accomplished. With the shifting of the political pendulum, let us continue to work to uphold the sacredness of human life at all stages, protect the dignity of marriage between a man and woman, defend parental rights and our children from poisonous progressive ideologies, uphold freedom of conscience, and denounce the injustice of coercive population control measures that have been justified by anti-natalist propaganda.
The first step in such a massive change is to change our vision and our values, asserting a moral vision of society that begins in respecting the right to life. The very concept of human rights is meaningless without the universal right to life. That’s basic logic. We must repudiate former ways of thinking and outmoded ways of accomplishing our objectives.
Keeping in line with the Hyde Amendment and Trump’s executive order enforcing the amendment, we should ensure all entities receiving international aid aren’t using funds for any sort of population control. We must rescind National Security Study Memorandum 200 (NSSM-200 / “Kissinger Report”). NSSM-200 defines U.S. foreign policy, especially in developing nations, and advocates violating the most precious freedoms and autonomy of the individual through coercive family planning programs. NSSM-200 has never been abrogated. As such, it still represents the U.S. government’s formal position on population control measures.
International Fight for Life
We must defund the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Planned Parenthood Federation and its affiliates, and other institutions (domestic or international) that lobby for the expansion of contraception and abortion services or provide them. Because money is fungible, the Hyde Amendment can’t be strictly enforced unless we stop funding these kind of organizations entirely.
The UNFPA’s concern is not with development, health, or women’s empowerment, but with reversing the growth of world population. Through its youth initiative Y-PEER (Empowering Young People to Empower Each Other), UNFPA demands all reproductive health services be made available for children beginning at the age of 10, including contraception, sterilization and abortion. UNFPA has also published many documents supporting abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, transgenderism, and so-called LGBTQ+ rights. It has even funded organizations that it knows are committing illegal abortions.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has branches or workers in 145 nations. Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is one of its affiliates. Its primary mission is the defense and expansion of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) all over the world – i.e., contraception, abortion, and sterilization. PPFA receives roughly $700 million from in U.S. taxpayer money annually. This makes taxpayers easily the largest single source of income for Planned Parenthood. Defunding PPFA would free up money to support better healthcare providers, and taxpayer funds would no longer be used to support the anti-life culture and abuses that lie at the core of Planned Parenthood. Instead, federal funds could be used to support pregnancy care centers, maternity homes, and entities that support women and families in need.
Our Battle Continues
We must rigorously prosecute any trafficking of products produced by abortion, such as fetal organs. President Trump has already indicated that he finds infanticide and late term abortion repulsive, so his administration should crack down on this lucrative industry profiting off of late term abortions.
And instead of subsidizing in vitro fertilization (IVF) for Americans, the government should use this money to pursue moral means of conception (and help to subsidize adoption costs for married couples). This will remove the ethical problem surrounding the procedure and its commodification of children, while still accomplishing Trump’s goal of strengthening American families. Moral means of conception are also cheaper than IVF, which would achieve Trump’s goal of reducing federal spending.
This is just the beginning of what needs to happen. And as write this column, the Trump administration continues to issue executive orders and directives that impact life and family. Here are four examples: President Trump signs two executive orders, “Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families” and banning federal funding for “transgender” medical interventions for minors, the State Department pulls millions in funding “condoms in Gaza” and the Pentagon ends Biden policy that funded travel for abortions.
I express my gratitude to President Trump and his administration for beginning to change the tenor in our domestic and foreign policy, in this direction regarding the respect owed to human life and the support of families and urge them to continue.
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