Catholic and pro-life leaders have welcomed President Donald Trump’s call for Congress to ban late-term abortion throughout the United States. Trump made the call during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 4.

After introducing two of his guests, 2-year-old Ellie Schneider, who was born prematurely at 21 weeks and six days gestation, and her mother, Trump said that he would be moving to increase funding for neonatal research, and that he hoped Congress would “pass legislation finally banning the late-term abortion of babies.”

“Whether we are Republican, Democrat, or independent, surely we must all agree that every human life is a sacred gift from God,” said Trump.

Pro-life leaders rallied behind the inclusion of the proposal in his speech, as well as the showcasing of a child who was born before supposed “viability.”

“Thanks to Roe and its progeny, America’s abortion policies are wholly out of step with the people’s consensus – across the political spectrum – that abortion should be significantly restricted,” Melanie Israel, a research associate at the Heritage Foundation, told CNA.

Israel said it was “shameful” that the United States is one of only seven countries where it is legal to have an elective abortion after the 20th week of a pregnancy, and she characterized the call to action at the federal level as “long overdue.”

Many reactions highlighted research showing that unborn children are capable of feeling pain by the 20th week of pregnancy.

“Precious children like Ellie are legally aborted every day in America at a point by which science shows they feel excruciating pain,” said Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, who is national co-chair of Pro-life Voices for Trump, in a statement after the address.

“A strong majority of Americans back legislation protecting unborn babies from late-term abortion after five months of pregnancy, yet Democratic contenders for president cannot identify a single limit on abortion they support–they won’t even condemn infanticide. The heartless policies of today’s Democratic Party would deny that babies like Ellie have any right to live,” she added.

The four major front-runners for the Democratic nomination for president–Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Vice President Joe Biden, and Sen. Bernie Sanders–are all on record supporting unlimited abortion access….

The above comes from a Feb. 5 story on the site of the Catholic News Agency.