Following former President Donald Trump's announcement that he will be once more running again in 2024, leading pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America weighed in on the state of the race with not one, but two, statements.
The group's president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, called to mind Trump's pro-life accomplishments, starting from the 2016 presidential campaign, when he "exposed Hillary Clinton’s extreme abortion views on the debate stage." Upon coming into office, Trump also maintained a pro-life position, first and foremost when it came to nominating pro-life judges and justices.
"As president, he kept his promises to the pro-life movement, chief among them to only nominate pro-life judges to the Supreme Court. Thanks to President Trump keeping his word, we got Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett – and therefore, the historic Dobbs decision," Dannenfelser's statement read.
A bulk of Dannenfelser's statement, in fact, highlighted the significance of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, and thus sent the abortion issue back to elected representatives. Dannenfelser highlighted how this is not merely to do with the states, but "through their elected representatives in the states, in Congress, and in the White House."
SBA Pro-Life America was in strong support of Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-SC) 15-week abortion ban, with exceptions, based on when unborn children can feel pain. In a post-midterm election call last week, Dannfensler and political strategist Frank Cannon also referenced support from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as well and Senators-elect J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Ted Budd (R-NC).
Dannenfelser went on to promote the need for basic federal pro-life protections, rather than merely leave the issue to the states. "In this new Dobbs era, some in the GOP have suggested this is an issue solely for the states to decide and that Congress and the president have no role. This amounts to a death sentence to unborn babies in blue states that allow abortion on demand until birth, such as California, Illinois and New York. It is an unacceptable position for any 2024 GOP presidential contender to hold," she said.
While the statement began by lauding Trump for his pro-life efforts, the statement also acknowledged the possibility of a primary with other candidates, who will also need to place importance on the issue. "In this new Dobbs era, the pro-life movement needs a presidential nominee in 2024 who will advocate for national minimum protections for unborn children centered around when the baby can feel pain or when the baby’s heartbeat can be detected. The GOP presidential nominee must also be prepared to go on offense to boldly defend his or her position and contrast it with Democratic abortion extremism."
"We look forward to President Trump and all presidential contenders outlining their pro-life vision and policy platform in the new Dobbs era as the primary election unfolds," the statement read in closing.
Again, though, this was just one statement that Dannenfelser released. On Wednesday morning, she released another statement on behalf of the pro-life group.
When it comes to the "high expectations" that the pro-life movement has, Dannenfelser's statement notes this means "the pro-life movement needs bold advocates who pledge to fight for minimum national protections for the unborn, such as when they can feel pain or when their heartbeat can be detected."
That statement also referenced last week's disappointing midterm elections, where a red wave never materialized. During that press call last week, Dannfensler and Cannon made mention of Republican leadership that did not jump on the pro-life message enough, especially when it comes to drawing enough of a distinction between their position and pro-abortion Democrats.
"As the most recent midterm elections clearly demonstrated, we need a nominee who will lead by driving a sharp contrast between the pro-life position and the extreme Democratic position of abortion on demand without limit," Dannenfelser pointed out in this most recent statement. "What cannot be tolerated are any candidates who shy away from this fight and state that the life issue is now strictly for states to decide. That is political failure and amounts to support for unlimited abortion on demand in the many blue states that allow it. It is the opposite of the leadership needed in the greatest human rights battle of our time."
In closing, Dannenfelser made clear the importance of this issue for the midterms. "SBA Pro-Life America looks forward to encouraging each candidate to put forward a bold vision and policy platform for the new Dobbs era so that pro-life voters know exactly where they stand."
These statements emphasizing the importance of the issue also echo the points made on that call last week, as well as a memo sent out by SBA Pro-Life America.