Is Trump really pro life, or is he just pandering for votes?

Excellent.

 

Amen, Brian! Great post. Carol is right, we better pray daily for Trump, they are going to loose the dogs of hell now that the Democrats realize that Biden has not a chance of winning.

 

Another thing I had to consider as a Catholic is that Trump has tried to foster peace and understanding in a region of the world that has been in opposition to the Jewish people and state from the very beginning of it's inception. His administration has been influential in the UAE formally signing an agreement recognizing the nation of Israel. Only the second nation in that region to do so in 25 years. This is also a nation that has agreed to an interfaith tolerance pact with Pope Francis that will be home of a site with a mosque, synagogue, and church. A place where men of each faith can come together in one place in peace. He has also not embroiled the US in war in Syria sending our sons and daughters off to fight in yet another middle east war in spite of the constant drum beat of the media and politicians who have been practically ceaseless in their attempts to incite it.
I was hugely skeptical about this interfaith agreement in particular when it was signed but I have come to believe that the spirit of this agreement is one of tolerance and trust for one another and not one of division and suspicion. Something that I also believe will benefit our faith as well as the faiths of Muslims and Jews seeking to grow closer to God and their fellow man.
Trump definitely knows how to poke the bear so to speak and that rubs some people the wrong way. I can understand that but I think the good far outweighs the bad when it comes to his presidency.

 

I have wondered this question (name of thread) from day 1. I gave therefore observed him for 3+ years.

Most interesting. He may be pandering for votes even now, but I am seeing what he says & does in defense of the church. He may be of one mind but Melania I'm sure is more sincere and orthodox. I agree, she is NOT without influence.

 

Trump is certainly not perfect (but none of us are; only God is perfect). Now, if the alternative is to vote for Catholic Biden, who has just elected a clearly pro-abortion vice president, then voting for Trump will save perhaps hundreds of thousands of lives. For me this alone would be enough.

 

1. Yes, you a correct. It comes down to object, intention, and circumstances. For the purpose of this discussion I used the common phrase. Of course I'm not implying that anyone here is willing evil. Strangely enough the opposite has been implied though.

If we are going to clarify the above, it's also worth clarifying the following: A no-vote for Trump is not: a) a vote for Biden b) or necessarily exercising a lack of reason or discernment.

2. I would take the 1-in-a-thousand chance of saving all the children every single time and not think twice about it.

3. Trump has been president 4 years and guess what? Abortion is still legal. And a candidate that drapes the flag that stands for "sins that cry to heaven"? No thanks. It's rather easy for me to see that Christianity is being used as an election tool. I keep hearing about how much his faith means, but the proof consistently shows that the opposite is the case.

Every four years we are told that this is the biggest election of our lifetime. It's a trap to keep those who are principled to vote "their" way. I personally want no part of that. I'd rather have a Dunkirk moment and come back with the right candidate with the right values. I realize that not everyone agrees with me - and that's fine. What I don't appreciate is the insinuation that people like myself are the ones in essence voting for evil and objectively lack discernment.

 

For abortion to be overturned it would have to be repealed by the supreme court or the states would have to find it within themselves to rid themselves of it. I think that when the illumination comes this will be the defining moment for many people who will repent.

 

..

I must admit that I enjoy his personality. Never a dull moment with Trump. And I love how he gets under the skin of the hacks in the media. I get a kick out of their feigned horror as they put the worst possible spin on his latest un-PC statement. And Pelosi doing her best to show some negative emotion when her skin has been stretched so tight that she can't even manage a convincing frown!!! Surely that alone should be worth a vote for him.

Trump is no saint but at least he isn't claiming to be a devout Catholic while actively promoting and supporting intrinsic evils that cry out to Heaven for vengeance. St. Paul, in 1 Corintians tells us that we have no business judging people not of our faith but that we should cast out our own evil doers. It's a pity our hierarchy choose to ignore that passage in sacred Scripture, giving the likes of Biden free reign to strut his distorted version of Catholicism on the world stage. Another "fruit" of Vatican 11, I suppose.

Remember when you're voting that there's more than 60 million aborted American babies to think of. A Biden presidency will see abortion tied to US aid in developing nations. Black African babies' lives matter. And your vote could mean the difference between life and death for many of them. Would you be able to sleep easy at night knowing that your third party vote resulted in Planned Parenthood being let loose on them? I wouldn't.

 

While the President cannot stop abortion, he can influence who the Supreme Court judges are. And hundreds of federal judges. That is why he is a pro life President. The Supreme Court determines the laws of the land.

 

I’m afraid it’s more complicated than that. The talking points of Trumps re-election campaign isn’t reality. The reality is that Planned Parenthood is alive and well - in fact better than ever:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.wa...d-parenthood-reports-increase-in-government-/

“...financial records show the nonprofit received more taxpayer dollars in the fiscal year ending last June than ever before ($617 million) through Medicaid and other health service program reimbursements and grants, constituting 37% of its overall revenue.

“The nation’s number one abortion vendor broke all previous records in taking money from taxpayers this year,” *Kristan Hawkins, president for Students for Life of America, said in a written statement.”

The sad reality is that we are unfortunately being strung along.

 

That's to be expected while the Democrats hold the House and the never Trumpers play footsie with them. I suppose that McCain's passing led to Romney finally coming out from behind the curtain.

Even if they don't actually overturn the Hyde Amendment, it won't be worth the paper it's written on if Biden wins the Presidency. And they'll get plenty of support from Planned Parenthood's Catholic wing. A quick glance at Catholic forums is evidence enough of how entrenched they are in the Church. A person would have to be very naive to think that there weren't well-placed Catholics (including priests and Bishops) in cahoots with Podesta's Catholic Spring. I read the twitter feed of the Bishop who criticised Biden for posing as a faithful Catholic while opposing the Church's teaching on abortion and marriage. The "Spring" crowd were out in force even gloating that the Bishop could be replaced for having the nerve to do his duty as a Bishop. I saw similar threats against Catholics who weren't on board with the Lavender Lobby. That Catholic Spring was an inside job and it wasn't confined to the laity. If memory serves me, Archbishop Chaput was in their sights - the same Archbishop Pope Francis singled out for criticism when he spoke to Archbishop Vigano.

A Biden win is a win for the Catholic Spring. They hold the papacy. If they get the US Presidency, they will have free rein to crush orthodox Catholics everywhere the US has influence - and that's the entire free world with the possible exception of a handful of Eastern European countries. I don't believe that Trump is all his supporters make him out to be. He's an opportunist but with him what you see is what you get. I'm very wary of his family's connections with Israel especially with the Evangelicals being gung-ho to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem to hasten their "Rapture". That said, short of direct intervention from Heaven, right now he's all that stands between people who actually have some Christian faith and Satan's footsoldiers both inside and outside the Church. Remember what Obama's JV team did to the Christians in the Levant? A Franciscan priest from Boston actually likened the nun who spoke at the RNC to a nazi sympathiser. When I saw that, I was reminded that Franciscan priests were the prosecution witnesses at St. Oliver Plunkett's trial.

Catholics with impeccable pro-life credentials say that Trump is the most pro-life President ever. They should know because they have years of experience dealing with different US administrations. That's good enough for me, especially when the likes of Fr. James Martin and the Nun on the Bus are so opposed to him. I'll take their word over the Jesuit or Franciscan version of Planned Parenthood at prayer any day of the week.

 

Except for the fact that the Democrats didn’t have control of the house then.

 

And that's just it. Hoping that the Senate or House of Representative will together work to pass a bill to amend the Constitution to prohibit abortion is like hoping that BLM and Antifa will one day turn into a Pro-Capitalist movement. Neither of which is going to happen.

For those that want to change the law of the land, the odds are better by going another route. WE commoners can't vote to change the Judges...however, WE can vote for a President who will NOT select liberal judges.

Justice Ginsburg is holding-on to her position on the court hoping to wait out for a Biden Presidency. She's actually quite ill and some say even close to meeting the Lord and his judgment upon her life. May God have mercy on her soul for some of the poor decisions she has helped to bring about.

 

Excellent post

 

How much more money taxpayers' money would PP have received had Clinton been elected? And how much more will they make if biden is elected? Trump can't single handedly put PP out of business with the stroke of a pen. Veteran pro-life activists acknowledge the progress he is making. These aren't lip service pro-lifers. They are people who have been slogging away when public representatives were embarrassed to be regarded as too close to them for fear of offending their financial backers. Some of them are Catholics who have been let down by lukewarm bishops (in McCarrick's case, a dishonest Bishop) as well as Catholic educators, prominent Catholic priests, nuns and, I strongly suspect, some religious orders as well as Catholic politicians and, more recently, the Pope. Trump has given pro-lifers a boost when even the Chuch is abandoning them. https://www.sba-list.org/trump-pro-life-wins

I read that a billion and a half lives have been taken by abortion. And that's before it becomes commonplace in Africa which is the goal of population controllers using climate change to justify it.

Progress has been made during the Trump presidency, otherwise rabidly pro-abortion groups (including the aforementioned Catholics) wouldn't be so hell-bent on getting him out of office. They hate him so much that they are willing to tolerate the destruction of their own cities to prevent his re-election. What surprises me is that people are shocked at the depths they have sunk to. People (especially Catholics) who actively promote, support or shrug their shoulders at the wholesale slaughter of the most innocent of all God's children will have no problem making excuses for looting, rioting, corrupt judges and FBI officials and especially the suppression of free speech.

The people who attacked Rand Paul and his wife won't stop at attacking public representatives. It's only a matter of time before anyone who opposes them will be risking their livelihood and probably their life. Your vote won't stop them but it could give pause for thought to those Catholics who put party before God. I don't know how any Catholic can stand up at Mass, profess belief that the Holy Spirit is Lord and Giver of Life and then vote for politicians who support, promote and fund the taking of the most helpless and innocent of all life.

 

TRUTH!

 

Yes, TRUTH!

 

I worked to make sure Trump would not be the Republican nominee in 2016 because I didn't believe he was truly pro-life.

I WAS WRONG!

Every major pro-life organization acclaims Trump's Pro-Life accomplishments.

Reversing Roe v Wade is important but not the only goal.

Trump has been more consistently Pro-Life in his actions than ANY other president since Roe v Wade.

It is impossible to quantify how many lives have been saved.
In his first day in office he reinstated and expanded the Mexico City policy protecting over 8 Billion dollars in overseas aid from funding abortion around the world!

Here is a sampling from the Susan B Anthony list (There are even more pro-life accomplishments than this list contains)
https://www.sba-list.org/trump-pro-life-wins




✅ Appointed Pro-Life Judges
During the 2016 campaign, then-candidate Trump promised he would nominate pro-life justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. In the final presidential debate, Trump stated, “I am pro-life, and I will be appointing pro-life judges.” President Trump has already made significant progress on this commitment to the Pro-Life Movement. In April, 2017, Judge Neil Gorsuch was successfully confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. And in October, 2018, Judge Brett Kavanaugh was successfully confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. To date, 197 of President Trump’s judicial nominees have been confirmed, including two Supreme Court justices, fifty-one U.S. Courts of Appeals judges, and one hundred forty-four District Court judges.

✅ Permitted States to Defund Planned Parenthood of Title X Funds
In April 2017, Congress sent a bill to President Trump’s desk that permits states to defund Planned Parenthood of Title X family planning funds passed in Congress. President Trump signed the bill which reverses an Obama-era rule that disbarred states from doing so. Because this was passed using the Congressional Review Act, future Administrations cannot enact a similar rule to Obama’s.

✅ Stopped Tax Dollars Funding Abortion Overseas
President Trump not only reinstated the Mexico City Policy, but expanded it to the new Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance program. This new policy ensures that our tax dollars are protected from funding the abortion industry overseas across ALL global health spending, not just family planning dollars. The Bush-era Mexico City Policy protected roughly $500 million in spending – the new Trump policy protects over $8.8 billion overseas aid from funding abortion.

✅ Defunded the Pro-Abortion UNFPA
The UNFPA has long been complicit in China’s oppressive population control activities, including birth limitation policies and forced abortions. President Trump’s State Department cut U.S. Taxpayer funding to the UNFPA.

✅ Required Health Insurance Companies to Disclose if Plans Cover Abortion
The Trump Administration Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) issued a rule requiring that insurers specify in each plan Summary of Benefits whether the plan covers abortion. The administration also requested input on how to better enforce the limited abortion provisions contained in Obamacare. Until Obamacare is overturned and replaced with a system that does not subsidize abortion coverage, insurers must make abortion coverage clear to persons shopping for a plan.

✅ Settlements & New Rule Regarding HHS Mandate
The Departments of HHS, Treasury, and Labor issued two interim final rules, which means they took effect immediately, while allowing a comment period, that provide permanent, enforceable relief from the previous HHS mandate for both religious objectors, such as Little Sisters of the Poor, and moral objectors, such as Susan B. Anthony List. The new rule also exempts private employers and educational institutions that have sincerely held religious beliefs or moral objections against providing contraceptives or abortifacient drugs.

✅ Strong Pro-Life Appointments to Key Positions Including:
Vice President Mike Pence, Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex M. Azar

✅ New Office for Conscience Protection at HHS
In May 2019, the Trump administration finalized new regulations to strengthen enforcement of federal laws protecting the conscience rights of health care workers who do not want to participate in abortion. The regulations clarify what recourse is available to victims of discrimination under the law and what penalties the HHS Office of Civil Rights may enforce for violations. Additionally, in January 2018, the Department of Health & Human Services announced the creation of the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within the Office for Civil Rights. This new office works to protect health care professionals who do not want to participate in abortion. In May, 2019, HHS issued a proposed rule amending Obama-era regulations, clarifying that Section 1557 shall not force a recipient of federal funding to provide or pay for an abortion. It shall also be consistent with the First Amendment and with pro-life provisions, conscience provisions and religious liberty protections in current law.

✅ Allowed States to Defund Planned Parenthood of Medicaid Funds
The Obama administration attempted to prevent states from defunding Planned Parenthood of Medicaid dollars, issuing guidance claiming this may be a violation of federal law. In January 2018, the Trump administration rescinded this guidance, allowing states to defund Planned Parenthood of Medicaid dollars as they see fit.

✅ Cut Planned Parenthood’s Tax Funding by up to $60 Million
In February, 2019, the Trump administration finalized the Protect Life Rule to redirect Title X family planning program funds away from the abortion industry. The rule advances President Trump’s promise to stop taxpayer funding of abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood, who will no longer receive Title X funding if they choose not to comply.

✅ Canceled Huge Contract for Taxpayer-Funded Experimentation with Body Parts of Aborted Babies
In June, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced they would not renew a major contract with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to fund research using the body parts of aborted babies. (learn more)

✅ Allowed Texas to Fund Health Program that Does Not Send Funds to Abortion Businesses
In January, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted the state of Texas a Medicaid waiver to fund the Healthy Texas Women program which does not include abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood. This decision reverses the Obama administration’s decision to deny a similar waiver to the state in 2013. (learn more)

✅ Took Action Against California for Violating Conscience Protections
In January, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it will take action against California for violating the Weldon Amendment by discriminating against organizations that do not cover abortion in their health care plans. (learn more)

✅ Clarified that Abortion is not a Civil Right
In June 2020, Trump administration finalized a new rule to clarify that the federal definition of sex discrimination under Obamacare (ACA) does not include abortion. Proposed last year, the new rule brings ACA regulations into compliance with longstanding conscience protection laws. (learn more)