Listening to Donald Trump, who describes himself as “pro-life” can be confusing, especially when it comes to the issue of life. It is my belief that having Trump as president would essentially be no different than having Barack Obama as president. Seriously.
Having a conversation with the rabidly pro-abortion Catholic Chris Cuomo, Trump talked about Planned Parenthood and what he said may seem ok at first blush but when you drill down into it, it gets a little…problematic.
Here’s how he starts and it’s not bad:
Well, the biggest problem I have with Planned Parenthood is the abortion situation. I mean, it’s like an abortion factory, frankly. You can’t have it and you just shouldn’t be funding it. And that should not be funded by the government. And I feel strongly about that and that’s my biggest problem with Planned Parenthood, because, really, if you look at it and the work they do, it really has become heavily centered on abortion and you can’t have that.
Then, of course, Cuomo chimes in with the absurd talking point that abortion makes up only three percent of their business.
Then Trump continues and starts getting into trouble:
Here’s what I would do if the time came: I would look at the individual things that they do and maybe some of the things are good and I know a lot of things are bad. The abortion aspect of it should not be funded by government. Absolutely…I would look at the good aspects of it and I would also look as I’m sure they do some things properly and good and good for women and I would look at that. I would look at other aspects, also. But we have to take care of women. We have to absolutely take care of women. The abortion aspect of Planned Parenthood should not absolutely – should not be funded.
Well that changes things quite a bit, doesn’t it? Trump says that the abortion aspect of Planned Parenthood shouldn’t be funded but as he knows, money is fungible and Planned Parenthood already says that no taxpayer money goes to abortion. The Hyde Amendment states that no government funding can go towards abortion. So he’s saying he would consider funding Planned Parenthood as long as it didn’t fund abortion. So Trump wouldn’t change anything when it comes to funding Planned Parenthood.
And one note of irony here is that, can you imagine the outrage that would ensue from feminists in any other context if a Republican said, “We have to take care of women.” How utterly patriarchal and Neanderthal. But, you see, it’s ok because he’s talking about possibly funding Planned Parenthood. So all is forgiven (and ignored.)
But back to my original point. A Trump presidency would effectively be no different than an Obama presidency for pro-lifers. Trump said to Cuomo about exceptions to abortion in the law.
I am for the exceptions. You have the three exceptions. I’m for the exceptions. The health of the mother and life of the mother. I absolutely am for the exceptions and so was Ronald Reagan, by the way. There’s nothing wrong with that. You have to do it, in my opinion. Now, Marco took a strong stand. I respect him. He believes that. I have – you now it’s just a different thing. I am for the exceptions, yes.
Trump includes the “health” of the mother as a reason to keep abortion legal, and that’s the problem. As every pro-lifer knows, once you include the “health” of the mother that opens legal abortion up to anything and everything including the mental health or even socioeconomic health of the mother.
How would that be any different than Obama?
