Unilateral Pro-Life Policy on Trump’s First Day

By Austin Ruse | November 7, 2024

President Donald J. Trump Addresses Seventy-second General Debate in 2017

WASHINGTON D.C, November 8 (C-Fam) President-elect Donald J. Trump can go a long way toward mending pro-life and pro-family fences by making big strides in the international sphere. As you recall, he made not just a few of our colleagues angry when he seemed to abandon the pro-life cause during the campaign.

This is not exactly new with Republican presidents. They have used international efforts to make up for shortfalls domestically. Trump should consider this first-day approach.

Here are several ideas he should embrace.

Appoint pro-life policy leaders to key positions at State Department and White House. Key State Department leadership positions must be staffed by committed pro-life personnel that can streamline a pro-life ethos in U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance.

These positions include but are not limited to: Secretary of State, USAID Administrator, US Ambassador to the UN and Geneva, Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues, Ambassador to UN Economic and Social Council, and Ambassador at Large for Global Health Security and Diplomacy.

Two new position are needed; Special Envoy for Life and Family at the State Department, and Deputy Assistant to the president for life and family policy.

Reinstitute Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA, known colloquially as Mexico City Policy) and expand to all foreign assistance. This policy originally applied to only family planning funding though in his first administration President Trump issued an Executive Order to apply it more broadly. It however was too narrowly crafted to only “global health.” This has allowed abortion groups to receive millions of dollars from other sources of federal money. The new Executive Order must be expanded to cover ALL foreign assistance.

Change instructions to U.S. diplomats (head of delegation) to reflect pro-life redlines. The Executive Order reinstating Mexico City Policy must also direct the U.S. Secretary of State to instruct U.S. diplomats to use the U.S. government’s voice, vote, and influence to advance protection of life consistent with the obligations of the U.S. government various instruments the U.S. has agreed to.

These instructions must be sent to all U.S. embassies in a head-of-delegation format to assure the pro-life position of the Administration is being communicated in multilateral fora and to respective foreign capitals, and that existing multi-year grants issued from USAID missions be reviewed and revised to reflect a pro-life ethos. All embassies must provide proof that these priorities were communicated with the foreign ministers of respective countries.

Rescind all Executive Orders and strategies that promote abortion and gender ideology. The Executive Order reinstating the Mexico City Policy must also revoke Executive Orders on foreign policy that promote abortion and gender ideology. Further, it should instruct the U.S. Secretary of State and USAID administrator to rescind and replace all State Department and USAID strategies and policies that promote abortion and gender ideology.

The Executive Order must specifically direct the U.S. State Department Legal Advisor to issue a guidance on abortion in international law consistent with a textual and originalist interpretation of the obligations of the U.S. government under international law.

Rejoin and expand the Geneva Consensus Declaration. The Executive Order reinstating the Mexico City Policy must indicate that the U.S. government is a signatory of the Geneva Consensus Declaration and require the U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to send notice of the current list of signatories to the UN Secretary General for transmission to all UN Member States on an annual basis.

The U.S. should work to expand the membership and influence of the GCD, consistent with the work of HHS under the Trump administration, including by holding public events in Washington D.C., UN headquarters, and other capitals, recruiting additional membership, and coordinating joint statements in multilateral fora.

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