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Josh Withey
Jan 20, 2018
Yesterday, Donald Trump made history.
No, we're not talking about the fact he presided over the first government shutdown ever to happen while the same party control both Congress and the White House.
On Friday Mr Trump became the first sitting president to speak live via video to the annual March for Life anti-abortion rally.
Presidents Ronald Raegan and George W Bush both delivered remarks at previous marches, but they did this via telephone.
During his speech to the pro-life protestors, Mr Trump said he was “honoured” and “proud” to be at the podium.
The March for Life is a movement born out of love ... you love every child born and unborn because you believe every life is sacred, that every child is a precious gift from God.
During another section of his speech, Mr Trump remarked
Right now, a number of state laws allow a baby to be born from his or her mother’s womb in the ninth month. It is wrong. It has to change.
Which seems like a decidedly strange thing to say during an anti-abortion protest, but Trump has never been one to shy away from controversy.
What he was probably attempting to say, and what his prepared remarks have him down as saying, is the word 'torn'. Eg. 'A number of state laws allow a baby to be torn from his or her mother’s womb in the ninth month'.
This is presumably in reference to extreme late stage abortion.
According to the Guttmacher Institute:
- 19 states permit later abortions to preserve the life or health of the woman.
- 20 states unconstitutionally ban later abortions, except those performed to save the life or physical health of the woman.
- 4 states unconstitutionally limit later abortions to those performed to save the life of the woman.
According to Planned Parenthood, fewer than 1.4 per cent of all abortions take place after 21 weeks. These will most likely occur because of extreme medical conditions threatening the health of the mother that have been missed during the earlier stages of pregnancy.
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