Four Key Efforts OR Believes the Trump Administration Will Get Behind
By Sarah Neely
Washington, DC – Yesterday, Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States, a day he termed “Liberation Day” for American citizens. He also promised a “revolution of common sense,” something the pro-life movement, and Operation Rescue in particular, has called for again and again when dealing with egregious wrongs carried out by the politically protected abortion industry.
“Operation Rescue is grateful to see the most radically pro-abortion administration our nation has ever endured finally come to a close,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “Today, the pro-life movement can move forward in the fight for life knowing that our current administration, led by President Trump and Vice President Vance, values human life and respects the freedoms that make pro-life activism possible.”
Despite the enormous victory achieved when Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, the pro-life movement has faced incredible obstacles in the last few years: deceptive amendments opening the door for unfettered abortion, even in states where strong protections were once in place; a Department of Justice (DOJ) weaponized to target citizens who dared to participate in peaceful rescues for the preborn; and unprecedented amounts of tax money funneled into Planned Parenthood and other shameless abortion businesses. These were all significant setbacks but never total defeat.
“It’s time to double down on our pro-life efforts,” said Newman. “Operation Rescue is ready to get to work, and we believe President Trump is too. His nominations have been extremely reassuring and his pro-life record is stronger than any other president in our lifetime. Let’s take every opportunity we have in the next four years to save lives.”
Here are some of the key efforts Operation Rescue will be pushing to the forefront, calling on President Trump and his cabinet to keep promises made during his campaign for President that will uphold the sanctity of life:
1) Pardon pro-life rescuers and stop the weaponization of the DOJ.
Right now, nearly a dozen pro-lifers are serving unjust prison sentences, with a dozen more convicted and hit with heavy fines, probation, or house arrest. Others are still waiting to be sentenced. The pro-life movement has made a unified call for President Trump to pardon these peaceful, pro-life citizens – something he promised to “take care of on the first day” in a June 2024 speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
During her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings held just last week, Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi also answered a definitive, “Yes,” when asked if she will “stop the deliberate persecution of pro-life Americans for nothing more than their pro-life beliefs.”
Though President Trump briefly addressed the recent weaponization of the DOJ in his inaugural address on Monday, promising “never again,” he did not make specific mention of pardons for the pro-lifers. Later in the day, he also did not appear to approve pardons for anyone except those involved with January 6 convictions.
“We are confident that President Trump will keep his word and pardon these political prisoners for Christ,” said Newman. “We call on him now to do it in haste, as these peaceful citizens have already endured enough mistreatment from their government.”
Earlier this month, Operation Rescue dedicated the 2024 Malachi Award to those persecuted and imprisoned for the sake of the preborn, calling on Trump to approve immediate pardons. And, last week, pro-life legal group Thomas More Society submitted a formal request for presidential pardons for 21 pro-life individuals.
“The request is on his desk, so to speak,” added Newman. “We pray he approves it quickly.”
2) Clear out the virtual back-alley of chemical abortions by reinstating FDA regulations.
Operation Rescue’s 2024 Annual Survey revealed that online abortion pill suppliers tripled in number between 2023 and 2024 – helping chemical abortions become at least two-thirds of all abortions in America. The survey also found that both virtual suppliers and brick-and-mortar clinics are pushing past the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) already extended gestational cut-off of 10 weeks for administering the pill, some going as late as 13 weeks into pregnancy.
These radical and dangerous trends in the abortion industry are a direct result of the FDA’s reckless decisions to roll back regulations related to mifepristone. In 2023, the FDA permanently eliminated a required in-person visit to dispense the drug and, in the same month, changed the label of mifepristone to allow retail pharmacies to distribute it.
Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy recently pledged to uphold pro-life policies enacted by Trump. He specifically told one senator that “all his deputies at HHS would be pro-life.” Kennedy has also been very outspoken against Big Pharma and drug companies that choose profit over safety. If confirmed, Operation Rescue will waste no time calling for RFK to re-establish previous safeguards, investigate abortion pill deaths and injuries, and hold abortion pill manufacturers accountable.
3) Uphold protections for preborn persons at the state level.
Throughout his campaign, President Trump has said numerous times that he affirms the Supreme Court’s decision to hand abortion back to the states. The Biden administration, on the other hand, has done all it can to force pro-life states into allowing abortion through federal means (e.g. Veterans Affairs clinics and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act) or to create loopholes in states where preborn persons are protected (e.g. abortion pills by mail).
Democrat-led states have followed suit, creating shield laws to protect abortionists who willingly break the law in abortion-free states from being extradited – even when a woman dies.
“Trump is wise to stand by the Supreme Court’s decision to hand abortion back to the states,” said Newman. “A federal ban would only end up right back in front of the Supreme Court, which will undoubtedly uphold its recent decision in Dobbs. Our movement worked for nearly fifty years to get Roe overturned. Why would we consider returning the issue of abortion to federal control when we know hearts have not yet been changed? We’ve already seen what happens – how many babies die – in that scenario.”
“There are two ways the federal government could be effectively involved right now: First, removing all funds from the criminal organization, Planned Parenthood, and stopping all government funded research that requires the purchase of baby body parts. Second, establish a personhood bill or amendment where the baby has rights – human rights – from the moment of conception. Until the federal government is willing and able to create a protection like that, our movement will save the most lives at the state level.”
In October 2024, Trump took to social media and said he would veto a federal abortion ban, stating, “[I]t is up to the states to decide.”
Newman adds, “Rather than pouring resources into a federal fight the movement can’t yet win, Operation Rescue’s efforts will be focused on efforts like shoring up pro-life laws at the state level, challenging shield laws that eliminate any accountability for abortionists, and creating effective messaging that can change the hearts we need to truly win this fight.”
4) Defund Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood received a staggering $699.3 million in taxpayer funds in fiscal year 2022-2023. A huge increase from previous years, when taxpayer funding for the abortion giant averaged $592 million annually.
In his first term, Trump promised to defund Planned Parenthood. Overall, he took away significant funds from the abortion giant – creating new guidelines for Title X and giving states the option to shift funds away from Planned Parenthood affiliates. In fact, Planned Parenthood describes Trump as the “first president to single out Planned Parenthood and call for its ‘defunding.’”
Like Republican presidents before him, Trump reinstated the Mexico City Policy to exclude U.S. funding for foreign non-governmental organizations, such as Planned Parenthood International, that perform abortions in other countries. Furthermore, he expanded the policy to withhold U.S. funding from nongovernmental organizations that actively promote abortion in other countries.
This time around, Trump has once more promised to defund Planned Parenthood. Shortly after Trump announced plans to create the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he nominated Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new effort. Both men announced plans to make deep cuts in government spending, mentioning Planned Parenthood by name as an example of “federal overspending.”
After a campaign rally in October, Vice President JD Vance also assured reporters that Trump’s views on defunding Planned Parenthood had not changed.
“Today is a new chapter for the pro-life movement,” said Newman. “We have a President and Vice President in Washington who are willing to work alongside our movement, willing to protect our free speech, and who believe in the sanctity of human life. Let’s not waste one minute of this opportunity to save preborn lives.”
This report may be republished with inclusion of the following acknowledgement: “This article was originally published by Operation Rescue, a leading pro-life, Christian activist organization dedicated to exposing abortion abuses, demanding enforcement, saving innocent lives, and building an abortion-free America. The author, Sarah Neely, is Project Coordinator for Operation Rescue.”
