Today I want to pass on President Trump’s “Proclamation on National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2020”.[i] Issued just a few days ago (January 21), it reflects a significant shift in position about abortion ever since a supreme court decision legalized it almost half a century ago. Following that fateful day in 1973, the lives of more unborn children have been snuffed out by abortion in the USA[ii] than people directly killed by WW2.[iii]
Here’s the president’s proclamation:
“Every person — the born and unborn, the poor, the downcast, the disabled, the infirm, and the elderly — has inherent value. Although each journey is different, no life is without worth or is inconsequential; the rights of all people must be defended. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, our Nation proudly and strongly reaffirms our commitment to protect the precious gift of life at every stage, from conception to natural death.
Recently, we have seen decreases in the total number and rate of abortions in our country. From 2007-2016, the most recent period of analysis, the number and rate of abortions decreased by 24 percent and 26 percent, respectively. The rate of teen pregnancies — the vast majority of which are unplanned — has almost continuously decreased over the last quarter century, contributing to the lowest rate of abortions among adolescents since the legalization of abortion in 1973. All Americans should celebrate this decline in the number and rate of abortions, which represents lives saved. Still, there is more to be done, and, as President, I will continue to fight to protect the lives of the unborn. I signed into law legislation under the Congressional Review Act that allows States and other grantees to exclude
organizations that perform abortions from their Title X projects. My Administration has also issued regulations to ensure Title X family planning projects are clearly separated from those that perform, promote, or refer for abortion as a method of family planning; to protect the conscience rights of healthcare workers and organizations, including with respect to abortion; and to ensure the Federal Government does not force employers that object, based on religious belief or moral conviction, to provide insurance for contraceptives, including those they believe cause early abortions. Additionally, I have called on the Congress to act to prohibit abortions of later-term babies who can feel pain.
My Administration is also building an international coalition to dispel the concept of abortion as a fundamental human right. So far, 24 nations representing more than a billion people have joined this important cause. We oppose any projects that attempt to assert a global right to taxpayer‑funded abortion on demand, up to the moment of delivery. And we will never tire of defending innocent life — at home or abroad.
As a Nation, we must remain steadfastly dedicated to the profound truth that all life is a gift from God, who endows every person with immeasurable worth and potential. Countless Americans are tireless defenders of life and champions for the vulnerable among us. We are grateful for those who support women experiencing unexpected pregnancies, those who provide healing to women who have had abortions, and those who welcome children into their homes through foster care and adoption. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we celebrate the wonderful gift of life and renew our resolve to build a culture where life is always revered.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 22, 2020, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. Today, I call on the Congress to join me in protecting and defending the dignity of every human life, including those not yet born. I call on the American people to continue to care for women in unexpected pregnancies and to support adoption and foster care in a more meaningful way, so every child can have a loving home. And finally, I ask every citizen of this great Nation to listen to the sound of silence caused by a generation lost to us, and then to raise their voices for all affected by abortion, both seen and unseen.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fourth. DONALD J. TRUMP”
That’s the declaration, and there’s something pleasing about it. For we all know that God is terribly displeased with murder, as He is with all sin. Life is from God and murder is the unjustified destruction of people wonderfully made by Him. As David says in Psalm 139:
“You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.”
To be sure, there are critical comments we could justifiably make about President Trump’s declaration and it certainly does raise some questions. Moreover, we’d like to see more, much more, said and done about the evils in society. Indeed, the fact that so many unborn children have been murdered through abortion is reason for nations who permit this public offence to lament and weep, to mourn and grieve, to acknowledge before God this sin-on-a-massive-scale, to repent and humbly implore Him for forgiveness of this massive evil.
And nations ought to weep in repentance not just for the evil of abortion but for the widespread turning away from God, the blasphemy of pretending He does not exist and the promotion and tolerance of so much immorality and wickedness. Nations must come to realise that “He comes, He comes, to judge the people.” And that the world is ripening for judgement.
Yet the president’s declaration is a step in the right direction, and for this we may thank the Lord who directs the hearts of rulers.[iv] Let us pray that further steps may follow, and that there may be a turning back to God and the authority of His Word. And let us continue to pray for President Trump, for our rulers and for all those in authority, indeed for all mankind, as God instructs us to do (1 Timothy 2:1-4).[v]
[i] https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/proclamation-national-sanctity-human-life-day-2020/
[ii] https://nrlc.org/uploads/factsheets/FS01AbortionintheUS.pdf
[iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties
[iv] See https://defenceofthetruth.com/en/2018/01/kings-heart-hand-lord/
[v] See also https://defenceofthetruth.com/en/2018/08/pray-for-mankind-1/ and https://defenceofthetruth.com/en/2018/08/pray-for-mankind-2/