President-elect Donald Trump’s win means the prolife movement has some critical opportunities in the days and years ahead to expand protections for human life.
The most important development involves the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court. Before the death of Antonin Scalia, any potential prolife law depended on the personal opinion of Justice Anthony Kennedy as the Court’s swing vote. A Scalia replacement with similar judicial philosophies would restore that balance.
If one of the four justices who consistently vote in favor of abortion leaves during a Trump administration, there is an opportunity for Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton to be overturned.
What would happen then? The issue of abortion would return to the voters and their representatives. For the first time since soundly rejecting abortion at the ballot box in 1972, Michigan voters would have a say. If Michigan’s pre-Roe abortion law is restored, abortion in Michigan would once again be banned, except in the rare cases to save the life of the mother.
As advocates for doctor-prescribed suicide continue efforts to legalize the practice state-by-state, a balanced or rule-of-law Supreme Court protects against a Roe v. Wade for suicide and euthanasia.
Those decisions depend on a President Trump and the U.S. Senate appointing and approving justices who recognize that abortion is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution and voters should have a say in the matter.
Many legislative changes are also possible. Immediately the Mexico City Policy, which prevents U.S. tax dollars from providing or promoting abortion overseas, could be restored by a President Trump through an executive order.
President-elect Trump promised to defund Planned Parenthood as long as they continue providing abortions and a Republican Congress could finally clear a path for that change. A federal effort to ban late-term abortions after 20 weeks could be passed, and it may have a chance to clear a Supreme Court challenge, even if Anthony Kennedy is still the swing vote.
Another critical priority is repealing Obamacare. Troubling provisions regarding abortion funding would be gone, and the HHS Mandate could be rescinded, allowing groups that object to drugs that may cause abortions to be free from being coerced to purchase them.
America is undeniably a divided nation moving forward, but a Trump administration offers a crucial opportunity to restore the ability of American voters to grapple with the issues of human life.
