In the 2024 presidential race, the contrast between the presumptive Republican and Democratic nominees is stark, and the stakes are high. We have a choice between a president with a proven record of pro-life accomplishments, including placing three justices on the Supreme Court who turned the tide against Roe v. Wade, and a president who has employed a whole-of-government approach to promoting unlimited abortion until birth.
Compare the Candidates on Abortion (PDF)
Let’s examine where Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden stand on some of the key pro-life issues:
Taxpayer Funding of Abortion:
Studies show that when funding for abortion increases, the number of abortions also increases. We can save lives by limiting the use of taxpayer funds for abortion.
For decades, pollsters have consistently found majorities of Americans are opposed to their hard-earned tax dollars being used to pay for abortions. Even some of those who consider themselves “pro-choice” and generally support abortion do not believe taxpayers should be forced to foot the bill. A Marist Poll conducted in January 2024 found that 53% of Americans oppose or strongly oppose the use of tax dollars to pay for abortions. The poll also found that 67% oppose or strongly oppose the use of American tax dollars to pay for abortions in other countries.
Like the majority of Americans, President Trump opposes the use of tax dollars to pay for abortions. As president, Trump issued a rule to ensure Title X family planning funding did not go to facilities that perform or refer for abortions. He also issued the “Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance” policy, an expansion of the Mexico City Policy, which limited federal funding for organizations that provide or promote abortions in other countries.
Trump supports the Hyde Amendment and other appropriations riders that limit funding of abortion in many federal programs. By conservative estimates, the Hyde Amendment alone has saved over 2.5 million lives since 1976 when it was first applied. Trump also supports passage of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act which would limit federal funding for abortion on a government-wide basis.
By contrast, President Biden supports the use of tax dollars to pay for abortions. Biden rescinded both Trump’s Title X rule and the “Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance” policy.
Biden has called for the elimination of the Hyde Amendment and vowed to veto legislation like the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. Despite previously supporting Hyde while serving in the Senate, Biden flipped his position in order to win his party’s nomination in 2020. “If I believe heath care is a right, as I do, I can no longer support an amendment that makes that right dependent on someone’s zip code,” he announced in 2019.
Unlimited Abortion:
President Biden strongly supports passage of the so-called Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), a sweeping national pro-abortion bill that would enshrine unlimited abortion in federal law and eliminate virtually all existing protections on the state level. A more accurate title for the WHPA would be the “Unlimited Abortion Until Birth” Act. According to a 2024 Marist poll, just 29% of Americans say they support legal abortion throughout the entire pregnancy until birth. While Biden pledges to sign this radical legislation into law, Trump has promised to veto pro-abortion bills. In his address to the 2020 March for Life, Trump stated, “If they send any legislation to my desk that weakens the protection of human life, I will issue a veto.”
The Judiciary:
One of the greatest achievements and lasting legacies of the Trump Administration was the appointment of individuals to the Judiciary who were committed interpreting the Constitution as written and not legislating from the bench. Notably, Trump appointed Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. These three justices were crucial to achieving the pro-life movement’s longtime goal of overturning of Roe v. Wade. As a result of the Court’s ruling in Dobbs and the subsequent enactment of new protections in the states, more unborn children have legal protection today than at any point since 1973.
Fortunately, Joe Biden has only had one opportunity to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. He appointed Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer in 2022. Biden has pledged to only nominate judges who believe unlimited abortion should be a constitutionally protected right.
It is worth noting that Justice Clarence Thomas is currently 75 years old, Justice Samuel Alito is 73, and Justices John Roberts and Sonia Sotomayor are both 69. The average retirement age in the United States is about 64 years old. The next president may have the opportunity to appoint several new justices to the Supreme Court. He will almost assuredly have opportunities to appoint new judges to the lower courts. Without judges willing to uphold them, pro-life protections will be subject to pro-abortion court challenges and not be permitted to go into effect and save lives.
Endorsements:
Re-electing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is a top priority for the abortion industry. The political arm of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest chain of abortion clinics, endorsed the Democratic ticket, stating in a release, “President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been committed to fighting back against the onslaught of attacks against our reproductive freedom. And we need them to continue this critical work.” They are also endorsed by pro-abortion groups Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) and EMILY’s List. Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden’s campaign manager, told the Associated Press that the president and vice president were proud to have earned the support of these three groups.
President Trump, however, is endorsed by National Right to Life. “For years, President Trump has given a voice to many Americans who felt their concerns were not heard and their needs not met, including millions of Americans who want to see greater protections for unborn children and greater help for women and families facing unexpected pregnancies. We look forward to defeating the pro-abortion Biden-Harris ticket and working with President Trump to build an America that truly respects life at every stage,” said NRL President Carol Tobias.
Vice President:
Given that both Biden and Trump will be in their 80’s by the end of the next term, the importance of the Vice President cannot be overstated. While we do not yet know who Trump will choose as his running mate, we know a lot about Biden’s second-in-command Kamala Harris. She is the public face of the Biden Administration’s efforts on abortion. She supports a nationwide policy allowing unlimited abortion for any reason until birth and using tax dollars to pay for it. Earlier this year, Harris made history as the first sitting Vice President to visit an abortion clinic. Her staunch abortion advocacy makes her unsuited to be President of the United States.