Posted on 08/23/2024 7:43:30 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Former President Donald Trump again drew outrage from pro-life organizations this week after he said he would not ban the distribution of abortion pills by mail if elected, drawing outrage from pro-life organizations.
In an interview with CBS News on Monday, Trump answered whether he would enforce the Comstock Act if he won the 2024 presidential election. As explained by reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns, the 1873 law could "prohibit the … distribution of medication abortion by mail."
"No," Trump responded. "We will be discussing specifics of it but generally speaking, no."
When asked again if he would enforce the Comstock Act, Trump reiterated he would not.
The text of the Comstock Act states that "every article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion, or for any indecent or immoral use" is "declared to be nonmailable matter and shall not be conveyed in the mails or delivered from any post office or by any letter carrier." It subjects violators to fines and/or imprisonment.
When asked if chemical abortion pills should be "widely available," Trump replied, "It's going to be available," adding, "It is now."
Trump suggested that the U.S. Supreme Court has adopted the view of "keep it the way it is" regarding the availability of the abortion pill, referring to a decision earlier this year dismissing a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's approval of medication abortion pill mifepristone.
The justices concluded that the plaintiffs who brought the case lacked standing to do so. They did not rule on the merits of the case.
The former president and Republican nominee's response to the questions did not sit well with pro-life advocacy groups.
"We can't ignore the rule of law and pick and choose the laws that we want to enforce," Kristi Hamrick of Students for Life of America told Politico.
"Isn't everybody's criticism of the Department of Justice their selective enforcement? So this would be the selective un-enforcement of a law that says these are dangerous drugs and should not be mailed. It's very problematic for a party that respects the law," she said, referring to the Republican Party.
Lila Rose, founder and president of the pro-life group Live Action, told the outlet Trump's comments are a cause for concern.
"It seems like Trump doesn't care about the pro-life base anymore," she stressed.
"When Trump is compromising, it's deeply discouraging to pro-life and pro-family voters, and I think he's putting his own election in jeopardy," she warned. "Quite frankly, this is a losing strategy."
Trump's comments about the Comstock Act were not the only part of the interview that drew the ire of pro-life advocates.
He also declared that "the federal government should have nothing to do with this issue," referring to the legality of abortion. The comment comes as some Republicans and pro-life activists want to push for federal abortion restrictions. Trump has been clear throughout 2024 that he opposes efforts to enact a federal abortion ban and believes the issue should be left to the states.
Tony Perkins, the president of the Christian conservative activist organization Family Research Council, condemned Trump's view.
"It is not a pro-life position, it's not an acceptable position, and it does not provide the contrast on this issue to the degree that we have had in the past between him and Kamala Harris," Perkins told Politico.
"What President Trump is doing is suppressing his own support," Perkins added.
Trump faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. The Democratic Party Platform fully embraces "reproductive rights," signaling an intention to codify the Supreme Court's now-overturned 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide into federal law.
Hamrick suggested that if Trump really "wants to be out of the federal business of abortion," he should "No. 1, stop funding it and, two, end the federal prejudice in favor of this distribution."
Pro-life groups have been warning about the risks of medication abortion for several years. A 2020 investigative report compiled by Live Action noted that women who take the abortion pill can experience "severe cramping, contractions, and heavy bleeding." The report detailed how FDA data shows "women can expect the bleeding to last 9 to 16 days on average, while 8% experience bleeding for more than 30 days."
The report cited statistics suggesting that the abortion pill caused 24 maternal deaths between 2000 — when the FDA first approved it — and 2018 and caused more than 1,000 hospitalizations and over 4,000 "total adverse events."
I have seen this movie before, its the GOP caving on pro-life with "lets just worry about getting elected" followed by dropping the issue afterward.
Cowards.
“If it is the law, he has to obey it.”
Well, he is obeying it; he’s not mailing people abortifacients.
Now whether he has to prioritize enforcing it is a different matter.
Some people think that pro-lifers and other social conservatives should just shut up and go sit in the back of the bus. The powers-to-be want your money and your vote but not your opinion. Well, the back of the bus is getting crowded. Social conservatives are not second class citizens. They need to continue to push for religious freedom and the right to life.
“I also believe that it is the obligation of the chief executive officer to enforce the law whether they agree with it or not.”
What if they believe the law is unconstitutional? Do they not then have a conflict of duty that may require them not to enforce a law?
That is for the courts to decide.
The congress makes the laws, the courts decide if they are constitutional, and the president enforces the laws.
It is as simple as that.
And as such, passed a law that states that this material is not to be shipped using the USPS.
Period.
Just because the libs pick and choose which laws to enforce does not make it correct to do so.
The vast majority of abortions are done by democrat women (especially minority women), who voluntarily sacrifice their baby to Satan.
This is why the democrat party NEEDS illegal aliens to replenish their ranks, because they are killing their own children.
Margaret Sanger would be absolutely ecstatic that her vision of eugenics (specifically black population reduction) would be so firmly embraced by black women. So by all means, let them kill themselves off. /spit
I always think of Eliot Ness who aggressively prosecuted bootleggers during prohibition, but when asked what he would do after it was repealed, simply stated, he would go have a drink!
Cowards.
Exactly right. To sacrifice even one baby for the sake of politics is to have blood on your hands. That's not pro-life. It's disgusting.
Yep. Which party had a mobile abortion clinic outside its convention venue?
We got the Roe win
Abortion is not a winning issue as now framed
Don’t let them have it
I’m anti abortion
Pro life is a platitude
They need to go after democrats instead of destroying anyone trying to help them.
He ahs already said that this is only astate issue. Feds should not be involved. Camera seeking activists pushing him to go back on this statement are trolls. Pi$$ on them.
Hence, it is a tough political call.
Yes, he could have said, "They can use UPS, Fedex, or any other alternative, Comstock notwithstanding," or "We're still studying that," but he didn't. That was dumb.
Yes! Social conservatives are not second class citizens. They need to continue to push for religious freedom and the right to life within each individual State. This is is not a Federal issue anymore. You need to accept the Win that the Supreme Court gave us and focus on every other jurisdiction.
Except the President also swears to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. Can he honestly be said to fulfil that obligation if he is enforcing a law that violates the Constitution?
Personally, I don’t buy that it’s only the court’s responsibility. Perhaps in cases full of legal complexities, but many laws are obviously unconstitutional on their face and one should not have to wait for a court decision to tell you that.
“Cowards.”
Go ahead and talk tough but if you don’t win a majority it’s all just talk.
If it ain't in the Constitution, BigFed got no business!
Abortion vans will be parked all over the country if pro-death party wins. They’ll be the new bookmobiles for abortions. Look for them across the street from high schools. But, that’s ok, let’s fight over mail in pills.
I can not understand why people are constantly trying to force others to do what they want. If what you want is what is good then let others find out for themselves through their very own experiences that which is good.
In the very least, those who are good will easily out populate those that are not since abortion tends to slow the growth of the pro-abortion demographic.
Unlike wars in which lives are lost on both sides, it appears only one side in this war is losing lives!!
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