President And Evangelical’s Alliance Deepens
President Trump is moving forward with increasing restrictions on abortion. His administration has announced that were would no longer be federal funding for any health clinic that provides abortions or refers patients to abortion providers. The move is the restatement of a law passed by President Reagan but discontinued in 1994. This is part of a concerted effort to severely limit or possibly outlaw abortion in the United States by Trump.
How Evangelicals Explain Trump’s New Abortion Ban[/tweetthis]
But why is a man who in limit over a decade ago called himself “very pro-choice” trying to eliminate abortions?
The answer is evangelicals Christians. They have consistently been Trump’s chief supporters. Over eighty percent of evangelicals voted for Trump. They are staunch opponents of abortion. Over seventy percent of evangelicals want most or all abortions to be illegal. Like Trump, evangelicals have not always been against abortion. Evangelicals follow the Bible, which does not mention abortion and does not explicitly refer to protecting fetuses. Evangelicals were historically not interested or even liberal on abortion issues. After Roe v. Wade Evangelicals became outspoken against abortion and became tied to Republican candidates fighting on their behalf.
The reason for the proposals might also be linked to the fact that evangelicals are less supportive of Trump recently. His anti-immigration stances have angered them, partially because immigration has increased church membership. Experts have also pointed out that the MeToo Movement has made evangelicals more sensitive to issues of sexual harassment, which multiple women have accused the president of. Therefore, this may be a way to regain their favor.
Planned Parenthood has responded to the proposal that it would not only deny abortions but essentials health services for millions of women.