Trump, Pence address March for Life activists
WASHINGTON — Thousands of activists at the annual March for Life enjoyed a rare display of political firepower Friday, with addresses by the president, vice president and House speaker all celebrating gains the anti-abortion movement has made under President Donald Trump.
But the movement’s elevated status comes at the price of much internal debate.
“Under my administration, we will always defend the very first right in the Declaration of Independence, and that is the right to life,” Trump said in the White House Rose Garden, in a speech that was broadcast to the marchers gathered near the Washington Monument.
Trump said he was “really proud to be the first president to stand with you here at the White House.” Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush addressed the march by telephone when they were in office.
Trump touted his administration’s anti-abortion policies, including new orders on Thursday and Friday establishing an office to support medical professionals who do not want to perform abortions and making it easier for states to direct funding away from Planned Parenthood.
Though Trump said Friday that “Americans are more and more pro-life; you see that all the time,” American views on abortion have remained quite steady for decades.
Pence mentioned the Roe vs. Wade anniversary, saying, “Forty-five years ago, the Supreme Court turned its back on the inalienable right to life. But in that moment, our movement began.”
He praised Trump as “the most pro-life president in American history” and vowed, “With God’s help, we will restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law.”