A major pro-life leader is urging the movement to continue to press for protection for the unborn, calling on advocates to demand more pro-life policy even as the Republican party shows signs of wavering.
“We have to do everything we can to make sure that we’re communicating the moral position and also the political position,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said on Jan. 9.
Dannenfelser spoke to “EWTN News in Depth” anchor Catherine Hadro on President Donald Trump’s recent remarks in which the president urged the Republican party to be more “flexible” regarding the taxpayer funding of abortion.
“Now you have to be a little flexible on Hyde,” the president said on Jan. 6, referring to the long-standing federal Hyde Amendment, which has broadly prohibited taxpayer funding of abortion for nearly half a century.
Speaking to Hadro, Dannenfelser said bluntly: “There’s no flexibility on that.”
“Flexibility should be reserved for what you wear tomorrow, what you’re going to eat tonight, where you go on vacation,” she said. “This is a matter of life and death.”
Hadro noted that during his first run for presidency, Trump had outlined a slate of pro-life promises to voters, including the intent to make the Hyde Amendment “permanent law” rather than a legislative provision. Dannenfelser admitted that she engaged with Trump on pro-life issues during his first term alone.
“Once he got into the second term, he thought he was dealing with the life issue by basically saying, ‘States only, we’re not doing anything else on the federal level’,” she said.
“Now we see the consequence of such a position. It means you can’t even stand firm on the Hyde Amendment,” she argued.
Asked by Hadro whether or not the pro-life movement needs to “face reality” and accept changing political priorities with respect to the Hyde Amendment, Dannenfelser said: “I 100% reject it.”
“There is no chance that the power has left the pro-life position,” she argued.
“We’ve been here before. We’ve been here at moments where there was a weakening in the GOP spine, where we have to do everything that we can to make sure that we’re communicating the moral position and also the political position,” she said.
Dannenfelser argued that the pro-life movement is “at the best place we could possibly be to move forward” and continue advancing pro-life goals.
She admitted, however, that the movement is “not safe” in the current Republican party.
“I think communication is key,” she said. “We can’t hold back in demanding what has been promised and following through.”
Bless you, Marjorie Dsnnenfelser. Wonderful.
Dannenfelser is 100% right! There is no turning back now. End Abortion Now! Adoption is the option.
In a recent long speech to diplomats at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV denounced abortion and taxpayer funding for abortions. He said that all funding must instead go to support mothers and their unborn children. He also strongly encouraged support for Christian Marriage and Family. He gave a very good speech– in English, too.
Whatever Trump does is okay with me. Everything about this country has improved dramatically in the past twelve months since he returned to being the president. You can’t make omelettes without breaking eggs.
So sick of the ignorant, smart-aleck liberal activists, trying to block ICE, the Border Patrol, police, and others, from doing a good job, protecting our country. Last Thursday, a Customs and Border Patrol agent in Porland OR, shot a couple in a car after the driver weaponized his car, attempting to run over and kill the agent. The two people in the car who were shot, were a violent Venezuelan gang member and his human trafficked prostitute. Makes me sick! God bless President Trump and his great team, for all of their dangerous, hard work, trying to bring justice back to America. Hope our Catholic bishops can “wake up” and support them. They, too, need to “get tough” and “break some eggs to make an omelette”– and get rid of bad bishops in the USCCB.
Reply to eggs: Yes eggs even the price of eggs has plummeted under Trump!
I’m not a single-issue voter
Murder is certainly NOT a trivial “single issue”– it is too evil to be viewed as such, by voters. Would you cast your vote for a diabolic, anti-Semitic candidate like Hitler, or a radical Hamas member — with plans to annihilate the Jews? Would you view this “single issue” as “unimportant,” deciding that your candidate has other, “more important” qualities of leadership and good promises to offer voters? No– the issue of abortion– the murder of unborn children– is non-negotiable. We must never vote for a Democrat candidate with no moral conscience, who actively promotes the murder of unborn children. That issue is far too important.
The point is that in America you have two choices: Republican or Democrat. That’s it.
A Republican who is soft on abortion is always going to be the better choice for governance over any Democrat, even over a pro-life Democrat if there are any of those anywhere. So I guess I don’t really care much about abortion since it doesn’t enter into my voting calculus in the form of a single-issue litmus test.
My litmus test is political party affiliation.
All I do when I complete my mail-in ballot is check every “R” candidate. I seldom bother to learn anything about them unless they are presidential candidates. Party affilation is all I need to know. That simplifies voting tremendously.
The Democratic Party Platform explicitly states they support the “right” to “reproductive freedom” and the “right” to “access legal and safe abortions.” A HORROR before Almighty God! But there are a few Republicans who believe that, too. You have to be careful with voting. How many children have been killed, due to voters’ choices at the ballot box??
What about the Democrats who have figured out that they can game the voters by running as Republicans?
Reply to single-issue: With 73 Million abortions a year world wide there is no more important issue than abortion. End Abortion Now! Adoption is the option.
I have always been a registered Republican. Since the Democrats became so immoral– it has been impossible to vote for any of them at all, all these years. I am very careful with the Republican candidates, though. I voted for Trump (twice) — my only choice– and prayed that the Republicans would support unborn children, and traditional Christian Marriage and Family.
I’m not a single-issue voter either. Yet, some issues are disqualifying. If a candidate runs on a pro-abortion, pro-racism or pro-crime platform, I will not vote for him or her, they’ve disqualified themselves. I do not publicly endorse candidates. Yet, moral issues should be addressed. No candidate and none of us are perfect. Yet, some are better or worse than others. We have a Savior. And, He is not a politician or you or me.
I would not refuse to vote for a Republican canditate simply because he did not publicly oppose legal abortion. At this point, it’s like gay marriage. Politicians on the national level have to be diplomatic on those issues. In some red states Republicans can run for state or local office and go on the record opposing abortion, but for national office Republican candidates have to appeal to a broad swath of the electorate in order to win. I understand that because I’m reasonable.