As they did in Iowa weeks ago, a group of pro-life women leader are again releasing an open letter to pro-life voters, this time in South Carolina. They are encouraging voters to select another Republican presidential candidate, saying Donald Trump can’t be trusted on abortion.
In a letter provided to LifeNews, the group of pro-life women leaders claim Trump is not trustworthy on the abortion issue because offhanded comments he’s made make it appear he supports pro-abortion judges on the Supreme Court or a pro-abortion vice-presidential running mate. The group includes heavy hitters like Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List and Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America and black pro-life activist Star Parker.
They held a press conference this morning to release the letter, which appears below.
“Donald Trump doesn’t exemplify the same values as evangelicals,” declared Tonya Shellnutt of Rock Hill, state director of Concerned Women for America, one of the groups represented at the press conference. “I cannot see his heart, but what comes out of his mouth should shame us all.”
The report indicated Trump spokesperson Hope Hicks did not immediately respond to an emailed offer to give a rebuttal.
SIGN THE NEW PLEDGE: I Pledge to Vote for a Pro-Life Candidate for President
Dear South Carolina voters,
As pro-life women leaders from Iowa and across the nation, we urge Republican caucus-goers and voters to support anyone but Donald Trump. On the issue of defending unborn children and protecting women from the violence of abortion, Mr. Trump cannot be trusted and there is, thankfully, an abundance of alternative candidates with proven records of pro-life leadership whom pro-life voters can support. We have come to this conclusion after having listened patiently to numerous debates and news reports, but most importantly to Donald Trump’s own words.
The next president will be responsible for as many as four nominations to the Supreme Court. Mr. Trump has given us only one indication about the type of judges he would appoint, and it does not bode well for those who would like to see the court overturn Roe v. Wade. Mr. Trump has said his sister, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, who struck down the Partial Birth Abortion Ban in New Jersey, would be a “phenomenal” choice for the court. Earlier this month, Mr. Trump also said he thought pro-choice Senator Scott Brown would make a “very good” Vice President. If one truly believes, as we do, that abortion is the taking of an innocent human life and is committed to the pro-life priorities of ending abortion after five months, and defunding the nation’s largest abortion business, Planned Parenthood, it would be a disaster to have a vice president who disagrees.
Moreover, as women, we are disgusted by Mr. Trump’s treatment of individuals, women, in particular. He has impugned the dignity of women, most notably Megyn Kelly, he mocked and bullied Carly Fiorina, and has through the years made disparaging public comments to and about many women. Further, Mr. Trump has profited from the exploitation of women in his Atlantic City casino hotel which boasted of the first strip club casino in the country.
America will only be a great nation when we have leaders of strong character who will defend both unborn children and the dignity of women. We cannot trust Donald Trump to do either. Therefore we urge our fellow citizens to support an alternative candidate.
The signers of the letter include the following leaders and advocates, though not speaking directly for their organizations.:
- Jenifer Bowen, Executive Director, Iowa Right to Life
- Denise Bubeck, Member and Iowa Volunteer, Concerned Women for America
- Kendra Burger, Director of Educational Outreach, Iowa Right to Life
- Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony List
- Christine Hurley, Iowa Pro-life Activist
- Beverly LaHaye, Founder and Chairman, Concerned Women for America
- Marilyn Musgrave, Fmr. Congresswoman, VP of Government Affairs, Susan B. Anthony List
- Penny Nance, President and CEO, Concerned Women for America
- Star Parker, Founder and President, Urbancure
- Luana Stoltenberg, Iowa Leader, Operation Outcry
The letter comes as another candidate, Ted Cruz, has the same message, questioning the sincerity of Donald Trump’s pro-life conversion on abortion.
During a campaign stop in South Carolina, Cruz questioned Trump’s pro-life bonafides, saying he has a hard time believing that someone who called himself pro-abortion for almost all his life could suddenly have a change of heart and become pro-life.
“If a candidate has spent 60 years of his life describing himself as very, very pro-choice. If a candidate has defended partial birth abortion for most of his adult life, we should not be surprised if, as president, he will not defend the right to life,” Cruz said
Some pro-life voters have questioned if Trump is truly pro-life, despite proclamations from Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin that his pro-life conversion is authentic.
SIGN THE PLEDGE: I Pledge to Vote for a Pro-Life Candidate for President
Trump ultimately changed his mind on abortion years ago, announcing his pro-life position in 2011, and on partial-birth abortion in the late 1990s after learning more about what the partial-birth abortion procedure actually entails.
“I support a woman’s right to choose, but I am uncomfortable with the procedures. When Tim Russert asked me on Meet the Press if I would ban partial-birth abortion, my pro-choice instincts led me to say no. After the show, I consulted two doctors I respect and, upon learning more about this procedure, I have concluded that I would support a ban,” he said in 2000.
Since his conversion, Trump doesn’t appear to have promoted abortion and continues to say he is pro-life and opposed to funding the Planned Parenthood abortion business. But, in early February, when asked on the campaign trail to provide more specifics about the kind of abortion policies he would implement as president, he declined to give any specifics.
Instead, he repeated what he has say countless times before that he is pro-life on abortion but without providing any further details about what he would do on a myriad of pro-life issues he will face as president — most notably naming judges to the Supreme Court who will determine the abortion policy for the nation for decades to come.
The lack of specifics has already caused a group of leading pro-life women to encourage pro-life voters not to vote for Trump.
In a letter provided to LifeNews, the group of pro-life women leaders claim Trump is not trustworthy on the abortion issue because offhanded comments he’s made make it appear he supports pro-abortion judges on the Supreme Court or a pro-abortion vice-presidential running mate. The group includes heavy hitters like Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List and Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America and black pro-life activist Star Parker.
The letter comes after an op-ed Trump wrote over the weekend outlining his pro-life views on abortion.
Trump opens the column explaining that he is pro-life with exceptions only for the very rarest abortions.
“Let me be clear — I am pro-life. I support that position with exceptions allowed for rape, incest or the life of the mother being at risk,” he said. “I did not always hold this position, but I had a significant personal experience that brought the precious gift of life into perspective for me.”
Trump said America has gone astray because it has moved away from the founding principles the nation’s founders put in most — most notably the right to life.
