Pro-life groups across the world have been celebrating during the first days of the second presidency of Donald Trump after a number of significant victories to the cause of the unborn in the US.
Trump has ordered several legislative actions to restrict abortion and also to prevent the prosecution of peaceful pro-life activists in their attempts to reduce the number of babies being killed.
During the election, many pro-lifers were conflicted about whether to support Trump, even though the pro-abortion alternative of the Democrats appeared worse. His apparent support for the right to abortion in some states, and a weakening of the Republican commitment to the cause, led to some pro-lifers arguing that they should not vote for him, even if he was likely to be less supportive of abortion rights than Kamala Harris, who made it a key feature of her campaign.
So many have been surprised and delighted at recent events. "You all know that I have honestly criticised Trump on abortion," said British pro-life campaigner Dr Calum Miller on X. "It is equally important to recognise and commend when he does the right thing. His first week has been great for the pro-life cause - and infinitely better than the Democrats!"
He cited a post from LifeNews, a pro-life online publication, that praised nine actions against abortion taken by Trump in just his first week.
Released from prison
Possibly the most significant is Trump's pardon of 23 people who had been convicted of pro-life campaigning. Nine of those pardoned had chained themselves together in front of a Washington clinic in 2020 to prevent people entering for an abortion. The leader of this group, Lauren Handy, was sentenced to five years. Others pardoned had also fallen foul of the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which Trump has also instructed to be restricted in its use.
"They should not have been prosecuted, many of them are elderly people," Trump told reporters as he signed the pardons. "This is a great honour to sign this."
One of the imprisoned 'DC Nine', William Goodman, told reporters that he felt a "rush of joy" when hearing he would be released from his 27-month stay in prison.
He also thanked people for their support for him and his fellow prisoners.
"We really could tell that people were praying for us," he said in a recorded message for LifeSite News. "There were some wonderful things that happened. People who came to Bible studies. People who came to Mass. People who were fighting with addictions who were experiencing God's grace of healing."
Changing legislation
Trump has also made a number of legislative changes: signing an executive order to limit gender ideology extremism that states human life begins at conception, and signing the Geneva Consensus Declaration, which states there is no right to abortion. He has endorsed the congressional Born Alive Bill which protects babies who are still holding on to life after an abortion. And he has enforced the 'Hyde Amendment' – which the Biden administration had effectively bypassed, which prevents US tax dollars being used to fund abortions.
He has also restricted the US funding of abortion abroad by signing the Mexico City Policy, and directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio "to ensure that US taxpayer dollars do not fund organizations or programmes that support or participate in the management of a programme of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization," Reuters reported.
In further evidence of the 'vibe shift' exemplified by Trump's decisive election victory - a perceived change from progressive, liberal politics towards more conservative goals - Sandra Merritt and David Daleiden, activists with The Center for Medical Progress, have just signed a deal with California prosecutors that they have hailed as a victory after being subjected to 'lawfare' since publishing evidence of the sale of baby body parts by Planned Parenthood in 2015.
Clear statements of support
Trump and many of his team have also made a series of positive statements in support of the pro-life cause. A video message of the President was played at the recent US March for Life, while Vice President JD Vance addressed the crowd and spoke strongly for the family and against a "culture of radical individualism". "We are joyful to march for life," he told the marchers. "We are joyful to know that that picture on an ultrasound, that is a picture of a baby with hopes and dreams and potential to come. It is a joy and blessing to fight for the unborn, to work for the unborn, and to march for life."
Robert F Kennedy Jnr told his Senate confirmation hearing to be Secretary of Health: "I agree with President Trump that every abortion is a tragedy."
Caution urged
Trump is not receiving unconditional support however. Another pro-lifer who warned about Trump before the election is Professor Edward Feser, who remains cautious. "Trump's pardoning of the pro-life activists is an excellent development and deserves praise, as do some other, smaller recent developments," he said on X. "But it is quite absurd to pretend, as some are doing, that this somehow shows that the concerns many pro-lifers had during the campaign were misplaced.
"For example, it doesn't change the fact that Trump proposed an IVF mandate, supported keeping the abortion pill available, and actively opposed state-level six week abortion bans. And all of these policies are grave assaults on the unborn."
Heather Tomlinson is a freelance Christian writer. Find more of her work at https://heathertomlinson.substack.com or via X (twitter) @heathertomli
