Believe it or not, Trump’s strategy could pave the way for more pro-life wins

Donald Trump’s controversial statement on abortion this week made headlines for all sorts of reasons, including the fact that his position frustrated his opponent’s TV ad campaigns. That’s good. But the former president had plenty to say in his short video that deserves unpacking — and that still sets him apart from the most pro-abortion administration in U.S. history.

At issue is a 15-week national abortion law, which Republicans such as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) support. Just last month, Trump hinted he might support such a law. The trouble is, the vast majority of abortions — more than nine in 10 — occur within 12 weeks of pregnancy.

While a four-month abortion limit in places like California, New York, or Maryland would be a win, at the federal level, it would conflict with better goals and call into question the courageous efforts of legislators across the country.

Worse, if a national 15-week ban ever went into effect, it could foster a European-style stalemate, where laws would be difficult if not impossible to change decades later.

Always a federal problem

Ruth Bader Ginsburg criticized Roe for short-circuiting legislative efforts. The late Supreme Court justice was a huge abortion supporter. But she argued that by removing the question from the democratic process, the court’s overreach undermined a political consensus. And the pro-life generation is not looking for consensus around allowing almost all abortions to continue.

Some pro-life proponents have argued for limiting abortions at four months as a consensus position. But if consensus is the goal, consider that the 15-week proposal polls as well as heartbeat laws, which begin around six weeks into gestation and would save significantly more lives. And yet, in refusing to articulate a gestational line at this time, Trump short-circuited the favored ad campaign narrative of the left — at least for now.

That’s good news. President Trump did not define the goals of the pro-life movement as a late-term limit. But there are complications. And as you read this, Students for Life Action is reaching out to the president for clarification.

By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court opened the door to local, state, and federal authorities to engage in the human rights issue of our day.

If we’ve learned anything from the Biden administration, it’s that abortion very much remains a federal issue. We are paying for and propping up abortion vendors at home and abroad. To give just a few examples:

• From 2019 to 2021, Planned Parenthood received more than $1.7 billion — including $90.4 million illegally obtained from the Paycheck Protection Program, according to a 2023 Government Accountability Office report. The international Planned Parenthood Federation received another $2 million, and four domestic regional abortion providers received more than $107 million.
• A separate report from the House Ways and Means Committee in 2022 demonstrated how abortion has cost the U.S. nearly $7 trillion and the loss of almost 70 million babies, shrinking America’s potential population by 20%.
• And in the 2014-2015 fiscal year, Planned Parenthood received $553.7 million in federal and state Medicaid reimbursements, or from government grants from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Democrats’ signature health care law, the Women’s Health Protection Act, would allow abortions to be conducted up until birth — nationwide. States would be unable to push back or fight.

Those who say they don’t want federal engagement on abortion should at the very least advocate ending federal spending on abortion and abortion vendors in the United States and worldwide. And we should stop sneaking abortion funds into areas like our defense or military spending.

A pro-life remedy

Should he be re-elected, Trump will have his hands full with a lifesaving agenda. That should include:

• Making critical appointments at HHS, the Department of Justice, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Ending taxpayer support for abortion by getting the federal government out of the business of subsidizing the abortion industry.
• Supporting mothers and young families by promoting services and support programs, including an expanded child tax credit.
• Using the president’s bully pulpit to tell the story of life, as Ronald Reagan famously did.
• Protecting life on college campuses by directing the Department of Education to shift its focus from chemical abortion pill distribution to education about life-affirming options for protecting babies and mothers.
• Ending the weaponization of federal agencies against the pro-life movement, traditional Catholics or Christians, and pro-family groups.
• Embracing “opposite day” by using the executive powers of the presidency to undo everything that the Biden administration has done to expand abortion.

Life can and will win. It just requires imagination, determination, and perseverance, because this isn’t a battle that’s won overnight or by the mere stroke of a pen. When it comes to human rights, true, lasting victory requires perseverance amid hardship.