5 Things the Pro-Life Movement Would Like to See From Trump and Congress

Following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory on Nov. 8, and with both chambers of Congress firmly in Republican control, pro-life Americans now have hope that real progress can be made in the struggle to protect innocent lives from the brutality of abortion death.

To keep the GOP’s feet to the fire with regard to issues of life, Operation Rescue has issued its list of top five legislative priorities for the incoming Congress. While it’s not an exhaustive list of everything that could be done, it’s a start, the group’s president, Troy Newman, said.

“During the election, promises were made to pro-life/pro-family groups, and after Inauguration Day, it will be time to make those promises a reality,” he said. “We can accept no excuse for failure.”

The list includes:

• Make conservative, pro-life nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court.The promise that Mr. Trump would appoint a pro-life justice to replace Antonin Scalia was one of the strongest promises made. Fulfilling this promise must be among the administration’s top priorities. Without solid justices that will uphold the constitutional right to life, all other pro-life actions become subject to reversal.
• Defund and prosecute Planned Parenthood. The majority of the American people oppose tax-funding for Planned Parenthood as long as it remains in the abortion business. Money that now helps Planned Parenthood market abortions to vulnerable women should instead be reallocated to legitimate health care clinics so no one goes without the care they need. Prosecuting Planned Parenthood for the hundreds of alleged crimes related to the illegal trafficking of aborted baby remains and for over-billing government funds for prescriptions and services must be a high priority. A strong message must be sent that abortionists are not above the law.
• Pass the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. This would ensure that babies at 20 weeks’ gestation and older have legal protections and cannot be aborted. This will end the savagery of poisoning and dismembering pre-born infants who are capable of feeling pain.
• Repeal Obamacare and its Abortion Mandate. Obamacare has been a disaster for the American people in general and for those of faith in particular, who have been forced to pay for abortion and birth control in violation of their religious liberties. There are ways to improve health care for Americans that do not involve paying for abortion and other services that violate the deeply held religious convictions of millions of Americans.
• Extend the Select Panel on Infant Lives into the next Congressional session. It is important to continue the Select Panel’s investigation into illegal abortion practices and trafficking in baby body parts, which is set to conclude at the end of the year because of delay tactics that have left subpoenas unanswered. At the least, any recommendations made by the panel to state attorneys general or the Department of Justice should be respected and crimes prosecuted.

“It is our hope that the table can be set within the next four years for the complete abolition of abortion,” Newman said. “That is our ultimate goal, and for the first time since Roe v. Wade, it is now possible to achieve it.” {eoa}