Donald Trump’s ambivalence on the life issue, further apparent in weekend comments from himself and GOP running mate JD Vance, is maddening for those committed to the life movement. But as the former president continues to advocate abortion as a state issue, one state scored a major life victory last week.
Democrats have taken the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to heart. The Court overturned Roe v. Wade and returned control of abortion to the states. Since then, pro-abortion advocates have sought to make legal abortion part of individual state constitutions through the ballot initiative process.
Arkansas last week became the first state to reject organizers’ efforts to bring abortion to its 2024 November ballot. Pro-abortion organizers in ten other states have been successful, but the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled 4-3 last week that abortion would not be on its ballot this November.
Still, pro-life leaders would like to see more support from Trump. They didn’t get that in June when Republicans softened language on abortion and support for marriage in the party platform.
Then on Friday Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that, if elected, his administration “will be great for women and their reproductive rights,” tapping into Democrats’ buzz word for abortion.
Vance in an appearance on Meet The Press said Trump remains opposed to a federal abortion ban, including the 15-week ban long proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
“Lindsey Graham himself has not advocated a federal abortion ban. Lindsey Graham has advocated a federal minimum standard. Now to be clear, that is not Donald Trump’s view. Donald Trump disagrees with Lindsey Graham on this,” Vance told show host Kristen Welker.
Protecting the child at the point of pain
Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, says there’s a distinction between Graham’s proposal and a national ban.
“What’s being discussed is not a ban. What Lindsey Graham has put forward is a measure for late-term abortions when a child feels pain. We’re not talking about a ban,” Perkins told Washington Watch show host Jody Hice on Monday.
As a party, Republican support for life began to take shape in 1973 after the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that women have a “right to privacy” including whether to have an abortion.
Ronald Reagan – then a candidate for president – took a firm stance for life in 1976 when the party platform recognized abortion as a “difficult and controversial” issue on which Republicans had different views.
Christian conservatives eventually galvanized behind Reagan to help him win in 1980. Whether that bloc now follows suit with Trump remains to be seen – and Perkins understands their hesitancy.
“I support life from the moment of conception forward, but I know we have to build consensus. We’ve worked for 50 years to bring about a consensus point to support unborn life in this country. Now we’re running away from the ground we had gained. This is why I was so animated and concerned about the party platform and what took place in Wisconsin earlier this year,” Perkins said.
Perkins said a slide by Republicans should be expected after the weak recognition of the right to life in the party platform.
“I knew without something tethering the Republican Party and Republican candidates to a strong position on life we would end up with something like this. Because Donald Trump is seen as the leader of the Republican Party, others are falling in line behind him,” he said.
Perkins says Christians need to rise up and speak for life.
“I’ve taken a little bit of grief from people who are saying you shouldn’t say anything. I’m sorry – [but] as Christians and as Evangelicals in this country, in the position that I’m in, we are to be a prophetic voice to the political leaders. We are not to fall in line with their positions that are not in accord with biblical truth,” he stated.
Nevertheless, regardless of how pro-lifers feel about Trump and the abortion issue, Perkins argued it’s important to remember who Trump is running against.
“We have to speak truth, we have to vote, we vote for the candidate who most clearly aligns with biblical truth. I would just like the contrast to be starker. That’s what I’m speaking out about," he explained. "I want to encourage Donald Trump to take a stronger position on life. I’d love to see the Democrats take a stronger position on life. But if we’re silent, nobody’s going to change.”
Arkansans rally to defend life
Pro-abortion organizers in Arkansas had their ballot initiative rejected on administrative grounds. The group submitted more than 100,000 signatures in early July to place on the ballot a proposal that would have guaranteed abortion access within 18 weeks of fertilization and would have restricted bans in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly or health of the mother.
Days later, Republican Sec. of State John Thurston cited a problem. The group failed to follow state procedures for the use of paid canvassers. That invalidated 14,000 signatures, leaving the effort below the required 90,704 signatures.
Jerry Cox, president of Family Council, a pro-life nonprofit in Arkansas, told Hice the measure failed because pro-life citizens spoke out and worked against the initiative.
“We and others around the state organized committees and launched a massive effort to urge people across the state of Arkansas to not sign the abortion petition. I’ve been around the petition process for almost 40 years here in Arkansas. I’ve never seen that many people rise up all at once and urge people not to sign a petition,” Cox said.
He estimates that pro-life efforts reduced the number of signatures by 50%.
“When they should have gathered 200,000, they barely gathered 100,000, and that was with hiring almost 300 paid canvassers. Without getting into technicalities, I think it lowered their numbers enough that they really did not have a case when the secretary of state disqualified them,” Cox said.
Currently, abortion is illegal in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother.
