Saying Trump is pro-life is truly ‘fake news’
As president, Donald Trump appointed three conservative Supreme Court justices who enabled the majority to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had legalized abortion for half a century. He claims to be a “pro-life” candidate. I am amazed how myopic many Catholics can be in siding with Trump because he indirectly led to criminalizing abortion. There is no doubt the Catholic Church is pro-life and Catholics are expected to respect life. But it’s more than just life in the womb.
“As Catholics we are not single-issue voters. A candidate’s position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter’s support,” the U.S. bishops wrote in their voting document, “Faithful Citizenship,” which has undergone several revisions. Protecting life in the womb is the most fundamental of all life issues, but others cannot be separated. “All the life issues are connected, for erosion of respect for the life of any individual or group in society necessarily diminishes respect for all life.” This is sometimes referred to as the “seamless garment” approach advocated by the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin.
The bishops identified “educating the young, serving families in crisis, caring for the sick, sheltering the homeless, helping women who face difficult pregnancies, feeding the hungry, welcoming immigrants and refugees, reaching out in global solidarity, and pursuing peace” among the many life issues. In other words, it’s from the womb to the tomb.
Trump’s stance on these is abysmal, and he is not only not pro-life but actually anti-life. Take his comments on migrants since he began his campaign in 2016. He disparaged Mexican immigrants: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Recently he said migrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” which many connected with Hitler. “They poison mental institutions and prisons all over the world … They’re coming into our country from Africa, from Asia, all over the world.” Trump is not shying away from his plan to lock up millions of migrants in detention camps. Lately he supported increased immigration for white northern Europeans.
Health care is vital for all people and especially for poor women who may become pregnant. Yet Trump continues to pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act, even though when president he never came up with an alternative. The vast gap between the rich and poor is growing, yet he considers his significant achievement as president to be cutting taxes for the obscenely rich. And now he promises to enact even more tax cuts if elected again.
Trump is a misogynist. He has already been convicted of sexually harassing E. Jean Carroll, who was awarded tens of millions. And his trial of paying off a porn star to keep silent before the 2016 election gets underway this month. This tryst allegedly occurred right after his third wife gave birth to their son. The “Access Hollywood” tape has Trump saying how violating women is easy for a celebrity.
Protecting the environment is needed, especially when faced with global warming, which Trump has called a hoax. As president, Trump withdrew the U.S. from previous climate accords. Pope Francis said, “We are part of a global community charged with being good stewards of the earth’s environment.” Francis said “our common home” is being threatened.
The U.S. bishops also wrote, “There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate’s unacceptable position even on policies promoting an intrinsically evil act may reasonably decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons.”
No doubt President Joe Biden supports the legalization of abortion even if he personally disapproves of it. But his stands on all the other life issues is stronger than Trump’s — by far. Biden upholds the mantle of life more consistently. And good Catholics need to assess who is really pro-life. It’s certainly not Trump.
The Very Rev. Alexander M. Santora is the pastor of the Church of Our Lady of Grace & St. Joseph, Hoboken, and the dean of the area’s Catholic churches.