Donald Trump’s appearance at the March for Life Taints the Pro-Life Cause

           As I do every year, I am posting about the annual March for Life rally in Washington, D.C., the largest pro-life rally in the American Union.  Last year, I had warned in my post about damage to the pro-life movement from being associated with or even appearing to support Donald Trump at the March for Life. 

Alas, this year, Trump, the pretender to the United States presidency, appeared at the March for Life rally.  Previous Presidents addressed the March for Life remotely, but Trump’s is the first in person address.  The infamous misogynist who claims to be against abortion, after having supported it and donated to pro- abortion Democrats when he was a Democrat only a few years ago, and who pursues anti-life policies in other respects, taints the pro-life movement.

            Trump, who continued federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the largest American abortion provider, has appointed pro-life judges, but praised the policy of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte of encouraging murder and pardoned American war criminals who had murdered innocent civilians.  He has implemented policies for visitors to the U.S. and refugees that have been deadly.  Trump’s travel ban killed an American whose organ donor was barred from entry while refugees fleeing persecution have been deported and sent to their deaths, as countless others are discouraged from even attempting lawful entry by Trump’s restrictive and harsh demagogic policies based upon fear and hatred that violate human rights.   His administration is even opposing allowing doctors to provide immunization to refugees it is detaining.

            Instead of being recognized as based upon love for unborn children and for the right to life, association with Trump risks associating the pro-life movement with hate and oppression.  It also risks being seen as inconsistent in protecting all innocent life from conception to natural death.  Indeed, Trump’s appearance at the pro-life rally and the embrace of him by the pro-life movement reverses the progress the movement had made of being seen as motivated to defend liberty out of love for all fellow human beings and of being consistent about protecting all innocent life.  

           I call upon the March for Life and the pro-life movement to disassociate itself from Trump and instead of allowing itself to be a platform for an unprincipled ally with anti-life policies, to return to its focus of protecting life as a moral imperative and as the most basic human liberty.