Crosswalk Headlines Formerly ChristianHeadlines
Topics:

Trump’s Post on ‘Reproductive Rights’ Sparks Pro-Life Pushback

  • Michael Foust Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
  • Updated Aug 26, 2024
Trump’s Post on ‘Reproductive Rights’ Sparks Pro-Life Pushback

A new social media post about "reproductive rights" by Donald Trump has ignited a cultural debate and sparked pushback from pro-life leaders, who say they appreciate his past support for their cause but are concerned over the direction he now seems to be heading. The Truth Social post by the Republican nominee read simply, "My Administration will be great for women and their reproductive rights."

Trump offered no additional commentary, but his post came the same week that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her allies hammered Trump at their convention over his position on abortion and reminded Americans he had appointed justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. Trump is the only president ever to speak in person to the annual March for Life. 

"Reproductive rights" typically is a term used exclusively by the pro-choice community. For example, President Biden's administration launched a website early in his term, ReproductiveRights.gov, to advocate for legal abortion nationwide.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, criticized Trump's comments while including a screenshot of the controversial post. 

"My advice is, when you're in a hole, stop digging," Perkins said on X (formerly Twitter). "This week made clear: the DNC has the corner on the abortion market. Trump is not only suppressing his own support, he is going to hurt the vast majority of Republican candidates who are 100% pro-life."

Trump's post coincides with his campaign's apparent shift toward advocating for the federal government to step back entirely from the abortion issue, making it a state-only issue. His running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, said Sunday Trump would veto federal pro-life legislation.

"He would veto a federal abortion ban?" NBC's Kristen Welker asked Vance on Meet the Press. 

"I think he would," Vance responded. "He said that explicitly that he would."

Trump also led the charge to change the Republican platform, removing a plank that had been there since 1976, advocating for a federal constitutional amendment protecting the unborn. For the first time since '76, the new platform does not mention the unborn and says the issue is for the states. 

"President Trump is trying to somehow, I guess, ingratiate himself with those that are pro-abortion," Lila Rose of Live Action said on her podcast, referencing Trump's social media post. 

Rose noted that Trump "has signaled before that he is sympathetic to the pro-life position" and "appointed justices that helped overturn Roe v Wade."

But Trump's language on "reproductive rights" is a "disappointment," she said. 

"You're not going to win over the left who already hates you," Rose said. 

Trump and Vance are "just alienating their base," Rose added. 

"Why are you doing this? Stand on principle," she said. "People want to see bold principle right now. They want to see a reaction against the extremism of the Democrats who are so far gone on abortion."

Cultural commentator Albert Mohler of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said Trump "inexcusably confused the issue and quite honestly left pro-life evangelical voters wondering what in the world he actually stands for?"

"I'm extremely frustrated that the former president has taken the tack he has," Mohler said on his podcast, The Briefing. "... Why would he make his stable base unstable on this issue? It is inexplicable to me."

Still, Mohler said he takes solace that Trump would veto any bill that supported Roe; Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has pledged to sign such a bill. 

"He said he'd veto it," Mohler said. "That is a far superior position to Kamala Harris running for Congress to pass such legislation and promising she would [sign] it."

Mohler added, "I feel like evangelical Christians are left in a very awkward position. We are left with one candidate who carries some of our hopes and another who carries almost all of our fears on this issue. So that's clarifying, but I'm going to suggest that the Republican ticket is going to be greatly strengthened if it clarifies rather than confuses this issue."

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Rebecca Noble/Stringer

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.