During his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Trump condemned a recent push from Democrats to allow late-term abortion, in some cases even up until birth. He particularly mentioned measures in New York and Virginia.
“There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our Nation saw in recent days,” he said. “Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb moments from birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and their dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he stated he would execute a baby after birth.”
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam told WTOP last week about cases where babies could be left to die after birth.
“It’s done in cases where there may be severe deformities, there may be a fetus that’s nonviable,” Northam said of third trimester abortions. “So in this particular example, if a mother’s in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
The One World Trade Center was lit up pink in New York last month to celebrate the “Reproductive Health Act” becoming law. The measure, among other things, allows abortion at “any time” to protect “a patient’s life or health” and removes criminal penalties for abortion.
In light of these events, President Trump called on Congress to prohibit late-term abortion.
“To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother's womb,” Trump said. “Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children – born and unborn – are made in the holy image of God.”
Monday evening, Senate Democrats blocked a measure that would have legally protected infants born alive after an abortion procedure.
Pro-life groups praised President Trump’s remarks Tuesday following the address.
“Once again President Trump has proved he is our nation’s most pro-life president ever and he is keeping his promise to the voters who fueled his victory,” Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser commented. “The contrast between President Trump’s vision for the future and that of the Democratic Party, now dominated by abortion extremists, is stark. Senate Democrats had the chance yesterday to prove they are not the party of infanticide, and instead they doubled down on a radical agenda of abortion on demand through birth and even beyond.That position that is simply irreconcilable with the values of the American people.”
Dannenfelser called for Congress to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act which bans abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy – the point at which science increasingly suggests that unborn children feel pain.
Tom McClusky, President of March for Life Action, praised Trump’s remarks as well and accused Democrats of being “out of touch” on the issue.
"The American consensus opposes abortion after the first trimester, yet some politicians continue to embrace and perpetuate an unprecedentedly radical pro-abortion agenda,” he said. “Among them are Virginia Governor Ralph Northam who recently condoned infanticide and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who, by bringing Planned Parenthood President Dr. Leana Wen as her guest tonight, has pledged her allegiance to an organization that continues to endorse legislation that allows abortion until birth.”
“While politicians like these are in step with a powerful abortion lobby, they are out of touch with the American people,” he added. “We ask Congress to heed President Trump's call to pass legislation prohibiting late-term abortion as well for a quick floor vote in the Senate on the Born-Alive bill.”
Maureen Ferguson, a Senior Policy Advisor with the Catholic Association pointed out that the late-term abortions that Trump mentioned in his address do occur every year in the thousands in the U.S.
“The President accurately called out the brutality of the 12,000 late-term abortions that happen annually after 20-weeks of pregnancy, the point at which a baby in the womb can feel pain,” she noted. “According to the pro-choice research Guttmacher Institute, 'most women seeking later terminations are not doing so for reasons of fetal anomaly or life endangerment,' but rather for elective reasons."