What Donald Trump’s election means for pro-lifers

As Donald Trump pulled off a surprising victory over Hillary Clinton Tuesday night, the biggest winners may have been preborn babies. Trump, who has run with a pro-life agenda, has promised to appoint pro-life Supreme Court justices, defund Planned Parenthood, and uphold values that are consistent with a culture of life. Tuesday night, the American people gave him the ultimate chance to make good on that promise. Trump’s stances on issues related to life have been well-detailed over the past year or so he’s been in the political limelight, and they give Americans a peek at what to expect from him once he takes office.

Trump’s Pro-Life Position

In January, Trump penned an op-ed in the Washington Examiner explaining the importance of a culture of life in the nation:

Trump’s shift from being pro-choice to pro-life came from a personal situation that served as a catalyst. Trump elaborated in an August debate on his evolution from being pro-choice to pro-life:

He put it even more personally in a CBN interview in 2011, On The Issues reports:

Trump on Planned Parenthood

Trump has been criticized for possibly supporting Planned Parenthood. In an interview on Meet the Press, he admitted he may have, but made his position on the abortion giant clear, even citing the Planned Parenthood videos from the Center for Medical Progress.

While Trump has praised Planned Parenthood’s few health care services as good, he has made it clear that while the abortion giant continues in its specialty, it should not receive taxpayer funding. Sean Hannity posed the funding question to Trump in an interview in February:

Trump’s disdain for the abortion side of Planned Parenthood was one he reiterated in another interview when he went on The View and sparred with Whoopi Goldberg who attempted to further the Planned Parenthood three percent myth, that only three percent of the abortion chain’s services are abortions, when in reality it’s most of what they do (as shown in the video below, from Live Action):

Debunking Planned Parenthood's "3%" Abortion Myth

But Trump said clearly:

However, some have expressed concern that since Trump has praised some good in Planned Parenthood that the organization could still receive funding since technically, federal funds cannot be used for abortions. Trump said:

It’s possible Pence and other pro-life advisers will double down on the funding issue, ensuring Trump recognizes that due to money being fungible, every dollar Planned Parenthood receives for other purposes frees up other money for its abortion business.

Trump’s Supreme Court Promise

In May, the Huffington Post reported on Trump’s promise to select pro-life judges for the nation’s high court. Trump said:

Politifact also notes Trump’s Supreme Court comments. It reported in February:

Trump on Embryonic Stem Cell Research

On the issue of embryonic stem cell research, Trump has not been as overtly pro-life. He told the Des Moines Register he wasn’t yet clear on that, saying, “I would say that I’d like to get back to you because I’m studying it very closely. It’s an issue, don’t forget, that as a businessman I’ve never been involved in.”

Trump on Abortion Exceptions

Trump has not wavered in his support of some abortion exceptions, despite the fact this differs from the GOP platform. Politico reports:

And while Trump wasn’t the initial number one choice of many pro-lifers, his pro-life stance was vital to voters. The most searched election term on Google on Tuesday, for both parties, was abortion.

Trump’s pro-life views, while not as absolute as some would like them to be, are a step toward a culture of life in the United States. As Trump’s administration takes over, Americans may see less federal money being poured into a business whose primary purpose is killing preborn children, and they will hopefully also see more Supreme Court justices that are conservative pro-lifers.