6 Pro-Life Priorities Christians Should Work for under Trump Administration

Many Christians have high hopes for the pro-life movement under a Trump administration. Travis Wussow and Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention offer six particular action steps pro-lifers should take in the coming months.

1. Codify the Hyde Amendment.

The Hyde Amendment came about after Roe v. Wade. Its purpose is to ensure that the tax money collected from American citizens who oppose abortion is never used to fund abortion. This issue of conscience and religious freedom has been threatened recently by Democrats who want to eliminate the Hyde Amendment so that taxpayer dollars can be used to fund healthcare providers that offer abortion.

The Hyde Amendment must be re-passed in Congress every year. Moore and Wussow say it is time to make this legislation a permanent part of America’s government.

2. Appoint a Pro-Life Replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia.

Trump’s promise to appoint conservative Supreme Court justices is a main reason he earned the vote of many evangelicals. Moore and Wussow argue that Scalia’s replacement must not only be pro-life, but have solid conservative values and be someone who favors “constitutional originalism.”

3. Repeal the HHS Mandate

The HHS Mandate, otherwise known as the contraceptive mandate, says that healthcare providers must provide access to all forms of contraception. This has caused many instances of objections based on religious beliefs and conscience (most notably, the case of the Little Sisters of the Poor). Moore and Wussow write that this mandate can be repealed fairly easily, and they urge Trump to take steps to repeal it on his first day in the White House.

4. Eliminate All Funding for Planned Parenthood from the Federal Budget

Pro-lifers will work with Congress to ensure that the next budget measure does not allocate any federal funds to Planned Parenthood, write Moore and Wussow.

5. Pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act

This legislative measure would ensure that babies--whom studies show are able to feel pain from abortion by 20 weeks gestation--will be protected. Thus, this bill would enact a ban on abortions after 20 weeks.

6. Pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

This bill would mandate that all healthcare providers must give the same standard of care to babies born alive after failed abortions as they do to babies born prematurely. This law would also mandate five-year prison sentences for healthcare providers found guilty of killing babies born alive after failed abortions.

“We encourage faithful Christians to use their voice help influence their Congressmen and Senators to support this legislation. But this is not the only way we display our pro-life convictions. Whether through support of adoption, participation in the foster care system, or providing counseling to expectant and new mothers through pregnancy resource centers, pro-life advocates need to not only communicate the truth of the God-given dignity of humanity, but live it out in our local communities,” conclude Moore and Wussow.

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Publication date: December 21, 2016