Jan 10, 2026 / 10:00 am (CNA).
A major pro-life leader is urging the movement to continue to press for protection for the unborn, calling on advocates to demand more pro-life policy even as the Republican party shows signs of wavering.
“We have to do everything we can to make sure that we’re communicating the moral position and also the political position,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said on Jan. 9.
Dannenfelser spoke to “EWTN News in Depth” anchor Catherine Hadro on President Donald Trump’s recent remarks in which the president urged the Republican party to be more “flexible” regarding the taxpayer funding of abortion.
“Now you have to be a little flexible on Hyde,” the president said on Jan. 6, referring to the long-standing federal Hyde Amendment, which has broadly prohibited taxpayer funding of abortion for nearly half a century.
Speaking to Hadro, Dannenfelser said bluntly: “There’s no flexibility on that.”
“Flexibility should be reserved for what you wear tomorrow, what you’re going to eat tonight, where you go on vacation,” she said. “This is a matter of life and death.”
Hadro noted that during his first run for presidency, Trump had outlined a slate of pro-life promises to voters, including the intent to make the Hyde Amendment “permanent law” rather than a legislative provision. Dannenfelser admitted that she engaged with Trump on pro-life issues during his first term alone.
“Once he got into the second term, he thought he was dealing with the life issue by basically saying, ‘States only, we’re not doing anything else on the federal level’,” she said.
“Now we see the consequence of such a position. It means you can’t even stand firm on the Hyde Amendment,” she argued.
Asked by Hadro whether or not the pro-life movement needs to “face reality” and accept changing political priorities with respect to the Hyde Amendment, Dannenfelser said: “I 100% reject it.”
“There is no chance that the power has left the pro-life position,” she argued.
“We’ve been here before. We’ve been here at moments where there was a weakening in the GOP spine, where we have to do everything that we can to make sure that we’re communicating the moral position and also the political position,” she said.
Dannenfelser argued that the pro-life movement is “at the best place we could possibly be to move forward” and continue advancing pro-life goals.
She admitted, however, that the movement is “not safe” in the current Republican party.
“I think communication is key,” she said. “We can’t hold back in demanding what has been promised and following through.”
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God bless Marjorie Dannenfelser! She’s absolutely right.
Once the pro-life advocates “compromise” and grant that it’s okay to kill *some* of the babies, then they’ve totally lost.
At that point, all that’s left is arguing about who dies first.
This “flexibility” on Trump’s part is the biggest disappointment of this presidency.
Either killing babies is wrong or it’s not.
It’s as simple as that.
I don’t think tht Pope Leo would be happy with President Trump’s position on abortion. Unless, of course, the President only said this to get support and he doesn’t personally hold this view.
But who cares what Leo thinks about Trump? It’s not his place to comment.
We live in a democracy (actually a Republic) where we get to choose our leaders (more or less) and to a large extent the laws under which we live. And while people may not like abortion overly much (although some do like to “Shout [my] abortion!!”), I’m not getting the sense that the majority of people 1) want to completely ban it or 2) do what it takes to end abortion, which would be to largely end the fornicative/contraceptive culture that breeds it (no pun intended.) I don’t see that happening.
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The priests don’t condemn the sexual immorality. Neither do ob/gyns or the medical community. Fornication/promiscuity spread some nasty diseases, and abortions can do real damage to the women who have them, so you’d think the medical community would discourage it like they discourage smoking. (Actually, I imagine the medical community makes a fair about of money from people’s poor sexual choices.) Pro-life leaders certainly are not condemning sleeping around or contraception. That’s a very judgmental thing to do, and Christians “must not judge”. Shaming a woman who becomes pregnant out-of-wedlock is to invite her to get an abortion, and shaming a woman who has an abortion is mean.
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There isn’t much the politicians can do about any of this.
“We live in a democracy (actually a Republic) where we get to choose our leaders (more or less) and to a large extent the laws under which we live.”
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never voted for a “leader” in my life, nor should any other self-sufficient adult be voting for a “leader”.
We have a House of Representatives, not a “House of Leaders”. They should be doing our wishes, not the other way around, but there’s a lot of people voting for the government to pick other people’s pockets to fill their own. Some are on Wall Street, some Main Street, and some in the ‘Hood.
As far as the form of government, on paper it’s a democratic republic, but a variety of distortions, based mostly on the unlimited power of expenditure (at least until buyers of “Treasury Securities” start demanding risk premia as a part of their returns) has allowed the government to become a democratically despotic administrative superstate.
I never voted for the existence or head of the IRS, the HHS, or any other of the three-lettered (if there was truth in labelling they’d all be four-lettered) agencies that have as much or more power over my life than my Congresscritter. Nor did I vote to eliminate the 3.5 gallon toilet or the 100 watt incandescent bulb that was replaced by those damn mercury swirlies that required haz-mat experience if you broke one.
I voted for Trump and would do so again. His trajectory has deviated from my wishes, but I always viewed him as 55-45 best option.
When I consider the cackling “yellow school bus” idiot that questioned a judicial nominee in 2018 about his Knights of Columbus membership and actually suggested it disqualified him-that made her my sworn enemy-even if all I can do is vote “no” if she attempts national office again, because I won’t even visit California-too hostile, too dangerous, too expensive. This is especially true since the witch was installed as the candidate in a weekend coup d’état, after it became impossible to conceal Biden’s cognitive impairments. The “No Kings” crowd were happy to have a Queen.
We don’t have a choice in voting, we have a selection. I am of the mind we are already in the state of slow dissolution, and it will become “kinetic” in my lifetime, but when I am too old to do anything but watch and lament.
No politician will save us. Only God has the perspective to tell us whether the world is worse now than before and at this point and all signs are that it’s going to get worse.
Trump may equivocate on Hyde, but Harris would have sought its abolition and sought 100% public payment for abortion.
“They should be doing our wishes, not the other way around…”
And what makes you think “our representatives” are NOT doing our wishes? Well, they might not be doing yours or mine or MrsCracker’s or some many other folks’, but they are certainly doing someone’s. Michigan is practically an abortion Mecca and that was put in place by a solid majority of the folks who voted for that particular constitutional amendment–and citizen lead one, and the petition drive was blitzkrieg-like during 2020. A majority of people want some access to abortion, they probably want it in their insurance policies, and likely want it in Medicaid funding.
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“And what makes you think “our representatives” are NOT doing our wishes?”
The first piece of legislation I ever read (because in those days it required a subscription to an expensive service from a company named CCH, formerly Commerce Clearing House) in my prior life as a regulatory analyst was entitled “The Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996”.(Pub. L. 104–188 (text) (PDF), H.R. 3448, 110 Stat. 1755, enacted August 20, 1996)
Despite the title, it had very little to do with jobs, protection or small business. A stellar example of Bismarck’s observation about legislation being like sausages, its concern to be was it’s provisions related to qualified retirement plans, but it also had provisions allowing tax exempt charities to become Superchapter S shareholders, it had several tax provisions, increased the minimum wage, and as I recall addressed the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs.
It was a hodge podge of things that as sponsored by Rep. Bill Archer and signed by Bill Clinton.
Nobody (including many who voted for it) knew it’s entirety, and certainly almost nobody in the public did. Ask the typical person what a “Subchapter S” corporation is and you’ll draw a blank stare.
There are innumerable examples of things that were enacted into law, either directly or through alienating legislative responsibility to the executive bureaucracy-I gave you two.
Mercury laden lights and toilets that should be reserved for toddlers are just a few of things that get done that are desired by activists or lobbyists, but not even imagined by the public.
Long ago, the ruling class learned how to shove things down our throat.
When are they going to investigate how Epstein arranged his taxes, his charitable giving and his fund placements?
https://apnews.com/article/bill-hillary-clinton-epstein-congress-contempt-ad1f880ed716665f210025d8e57ff112
We are the pro-life generation and I know who I am.
Did anyone in the Fed Reserve and Treasury know about Epstein financial chain? Who was funding into it? Were there NEVER any red flags?
All banks under the authority of FATCA and FATF and their equivalents with reporting requirements to the US Treasury -what about these?
Won’t there be RICO indictments ultimately?
Two weeks ago Bank of America Chairman/CEO said that without “independence of the Fed” the “markets will punish people”. All of a sudden this week there is a surge on the same messaging initiated Monday by Murkowski, huge chorus “defending” the “independence of the Fed” from “lined-up former Chairs” to bank CEO’s and Presidents to Republicans to European bankers and EU Central Bank. Supposed over an investigation into Powell and construction contracts.
With that kind of not-hodge-podge walling up how will Trump get to the bottom of it.
Delays could prejudice prosecutions in so many ways.
Redacting victims’ names could be for things getting publicity but it can’t be for early and preemptive preparation of prosecution cases. Victims are also witnesses.
Not only do prosecutions have to be instigated, but also, crime trails have to be investigated and pursued. Delay sets up prejudice here too.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/justice-department-says-members-of-congress-cant-intervene-in-release-of-epstein-files/ar-AA1Unr4R?ocid=BingNewsSerp
https://fortune.com/2026/01/16/jamie-dimon-jpmorgan-ceo-federal-reserve-chair-powell-trump-treasury-secretary/
https://www.thefederalcriminalattorneys.com/financial-crimes-enterprise
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_Criminal_Enterprise_Statute
Well stated MrsHess. The abortion industry says that 85% of the women who get abortions are single, confirming your statement on sexual immorality. I am disappointed in Trump’s statement on the Hyde amendment, but the president is not where I look for moral teaching. The bishops say that abortion is the preeminent moral issue, but they spend much more of their time on immigration, the death penalty, so called man made climate change, etc.
I hear NO homilies addressing the major immoral issues of our day. The typical homily is a repeat of the gospel reading in the priests own words, followed by a general do good and avoid evil comment. The choice of topic at the recent meeting of the Cardinals in the Vatican indicates that they believe synodality is the most important issue today.
There are Mass going Catholics in my parish who believe that there should be abortion exceptions (rape and incest) and that IVF is a good thing. A priest speaking against these things would carry a whole lot more impact than anything I say.
“There isn’t much that the politicians can do about any of this.”
Well, it looks like President Trump is trying to do something: emasculate the Hyde Amendment if not do away with it completely.
How specifically is Trump going to overturn the Hyde Amendment? Only congress can do that.
Mrs. Hess above (12:01 p.m.) – But many (most?) people think contraception is the antidote to abortion.
The truth is that it is the gateway drug.
The only contraception that reduces direct abortion rates seems to be the long term variety. That’s supposed to be a factor in lower teen pregnancy numbers. Pediatricians have endorsed long term contraceptives to teens as young as 12.
Perhaps smartphones have reduced that statistic, too. Teens aren’t getting together face to face in the same ways as in the past. For better or worse.
The only contraception that reduces direct abortion rates seems to be the long term variety.
I bet it does wonders increasing Chlamydia, Human Papilloma Virus, Gonorrhea, Genital Herpes, syphilis, HIV/AIDS…
Depo-P is implicated in early onset osteoporosis as well.
And they would be wrong.
I make no excuses for Trump’s sliding away from the pro-life movement. But, let’s be clear: Not one American bishop stood with him when he had an unabashed pro-life position, except maybe Strickland (and we know what happened to him, no doubt for this very reason). There was no political gain for Trump to remain loyal to the pro-life movement. I actually don’t care if a politician is dyed-in-the-wool pro-life. But if he/she promotes the pro-life agenda, you support him/her. The bishops worked hard to demonize him during his first term. Well, you reap what you sow. And let’s not fool ourselves, the pro-life position is less popular than ever, even among Catholics. Thanks, in large measure, to our bishops, led by the likes of McCloskey, Cupich, Tobin, Stowe, et al.
The truth is that the US as a secular society is a long way from having the majority of citizens support the banning of abortion in ALL cases. Practicing Catholics I have spoken to see abortion availability in the case of rape or incest as a non-negotiable issue. Purists may not like that, but that is the truth. Trump has done his level best to pare back the “free-for all” through the third trimester abortion so broadly supported like a religion by Democrats. For pro-lifers to attack him on this is grossly unfair. It is also not untrue that the evangelical vote for Republicans has weakened. And we lose many, many moderate votes that would otherwise have gotten more Republicans/conservatives elected where they would have done society much good on things like national hunger, schools, and medical facilities. You cant get a single thing done if you are out of power.
Finally, if you think its ok to run down law enforcement who are trying to arrest murderers and pedos, you are likely a DEM voter. Keep weakening Trump and you will see them back in power. Then you can kiss goodbye any thought of further curtailing late term abortion. Moral of the story: take the wins you already have been given with this president and try for more. Undermining him will get you people in power who will immediately reverse the pro-life gains you have made. Wake up.
No Catholic should condemn abortion as long as the Catholic Church maintains silence by its leaders (bishops, priests) and its practice by laity of contraception.
We in the Catholic Church do not fully embrace a culture of life now do we?
No Catholic should determine his own level of faithfulness based on his perception of the lack of faithfulness among others, even if those others are high-ranking clergy.
There were more laity at the foot of the Cross than bishops. You follow the example of those at the foot of the Cross, you don’t poll the bishops.
Amanda: Brilliant, just brilliant!
From Amanda – “There were more laity at the foot of the Cross than bishops. You follow the example of those at the foot of the Cross, you don’t poll the bishops.”
Great comment!
Pitchfork Rebel (7:44 p.m.) – Exactly.
Next question – Why does this get so little (i.e. zero) attention?
Cleo: my take on the reasons: fecklessness; duplicity; moral conflict; fear; conflict avoidance, etc
I’m sure fear for the collection plate has a lot to do with it.
Trump has never been a true “pro-lifer”, as he has no moral compass. He was simply a RINO politician who was willing to be “pro-life” during his first term in order to strengthen his base in the 2020 election. After helping to overturn Roe, he was done. His complete repudiation of the pro-life Republican Platform at the 2024 GOP Convention demonstrated his complete disrespect for pro-life Christians within the Republican Party. His utter contempt the Platform Committee was reprehensible.
What exactly did the GOP platform do to save lives for the past 50 years? It sure beat the Democrat platform in verbiage but words without action mean little.
Elwood Groves: A serious case of TDS. There’s hope for you.
How do you push back in the present environment?
Br. Jaques: you “push back” by education. Morals must be learned in order to establish a well informed conscience. Wrong ideas and teachings must be actively confronted. We, as Catholics, must be bold and concise in our teaching. Starting with elementary school all the way through seminary we need to establish a curriculum of ethics including sexual morality. For those not enrolled in Catholic schools we need a CCD curriculum which exposes the errors of public school teachings. We should move forward without pointing fingers or blaming our hierarchy or priests for mistakes of the past-this only causes resentment and resistance.
While trying to create change through legislation is good, effective and lasting change will only come when people are convicted of pro life and traditional sexual morals. As far as abortion is concerned— no demand, no supply.
We also have to rid pro-life voters of the “vote for the lesser evil” idea, which as I have said before is a proven failure, regardless of whether it is moral or not. It doesn’t matter if it’s moral if it doesn’t work and never will. Persistently voting for the lesser evil is what has led us to where we are today. If Republicans want our votes, they have to be more than merely “not Democrats.” I applaud Dannenfelser for not cutting Trump any slack on this.
Andrew: That’s why we need to vote for the likes of the Solidarity party.
Why carp about lack of complete purity when it comes to abortion when the Catholic Church has essentially turned a blind eye to contraception which is universally practiced by Catholics? Let me know how your purist mind-set works out for you..
Diogenes Redux above (2:12 a.m.) – Bingo.
To repeat – Why does this get so little (i.e. zero) attention?
Stop already with the political posturing.
The pro-life movement should NEVER EVER be aligned with any political party. “Pro-life” is a moral issue, not a political one.
And, besides, being Pro-Life is UNIQUELY CATHOLIC because most Protestant sects are very specific about being PRO-ABORTION. Except for the most Orthodox, Jews are PRO-ABORTION. And as for Muslims…well, who knows what they believe?
Mrs. Hess (10:43 a.m.) – Yes, they would be wrong.
James Connor (9:37 a.m.) – Yes, the long, slow and only remedy.
And yes, stop pointing the finger at bishops and priests. We stopped listening to them a long time ago.
Deacon Peitler above (12:48 p.m.) – In my experience, many Evangelical Protestants are strongly anti-abortion, as are some Muslims.
Where the Catholic Church stands pretty much alone is in its (official) opposition to contraception.
Cleo: I would have to agree with you about Evangelicals. However the vast majority of Mainline Protestants such as Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians and Methodists are likely pro-abortion. The vast majority of Cultural Jews are pro-abortion. And, it’s anybody’s guess what the Muslims believe.
Deacon.
“Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians and Methodists are likely pro-abortion. The vast majority of Cultural Jews are pro-abortion. And, it’s anybody’s guess what the Muslims believe.”
“Anybody’s GUESS”??? Mass indictment! Show the proof, even if it is a massive effort.
MorganD: I pity you…greatly. If you’re aware of Muslim views (official or otherwise) on abortion, supply us with that information…please. All I stated was that we are generally unaware of what Muslims believe on this matter.
““We’ve been here before. We’ve been here at moments where there was a weakening in the GOP spine, where we have to do everything that we can to make sure that we’re communicating the moral position and also the political position,” she said.”
The definition of insanity, as they say, is doing the same old things and expecting different results. The problems with the pro-life movement have little to do with the Republican party or President Trump. Conservative supreme court justices correctly overturned Roe vs. Wade, arguing that there is no constitutional right for abortion. It’s up to the states now to decide how to move forward. Maybe the pro-life movement should take a cue from the early church, which was rejected and persecuted for the first three centuries of its existence. Christians didn’t try to effect political change in Rome; they simply lived out their faith every day. The culture eventually changed because people changed. Less focus on politics and more focus on changing people’s hearts.
Deacon Peitler above (6:42 a.m.) – Yes re most so-called mainline Protestant denominations. However, not all Lutherans and Presbyterians are the same. See Mollie Hemingway (Lutheran) and Carl Trueman (Presbyterian). I’m not too clear about the Muslim position generally but I do have a very clear personal experience of strong opposition.
Where things really break down, I am more and more convinced, is on the issue of contraception.
Synopsis attempted. Focus, Trump syncophants, and ICE immorality.
It ain’t just Trump’s anti-Catholic mission and defiance of the Hyde Amendment (H.R. 7), it’s his blatant, unrelenting penchant for power. “He is the president of Venezuela”. “I deserve the Nobel Peace Prize”.
Who might he be? Trump is truly an anomaly! His recent bloviating falsely on his accomplishments strays seriously off topic, lies profusely, affects our children, and displays severe hatred against his purported enemies. Certainly not a uniter. But is he the source of this bully pulpit? No! He is the symptom. It’s his enablers who are the source. That mentality has caused hundreds of Psychiatrists to challenge his mental acuity. The scariest thing is that he carries the nuclear codes.
ICE, or pol-ICE. A national disaster. The optics reveal many of their atrocities. Wearing masks, military infantry uniforms and powerful, rapid fire AK47 type rifles. Recent actions…
>Killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE “officer” Jonathon Ross. Trump: She ran over the officer. No! He walked off, waving his arms and calling Good a “F*****G Bitch.” Amazingly, the DOJ has decided not to prosecute the killing since there is “not enough evidence to prosecute”, Todd Blanch (Pam Bondage). How so? Pedestrians who have seen the tragedy up close?
Noem: She was a “domestic terrorist.”, John Donald Vance: “She is the victim of her own actions.”
>ICE collateral damage. Schools are shutting their doors. ICE is surrounding schools that scare kids and parents so bad that they fear sending their kids to school.
>
My synopsis ends here. I ran out of ink.
MorganD: No need to continue suffering with your intractable TDS. Get help; it’s available.
Dear Deacon, Sacramental man of the cloth. I suspect that your religious status must be evidence of your compassion, but your slanderous diatribe fails to show proof of that. Your response is sorely lacking specifics.
Oh, I have a new pen. Let’s lower the heat.
God bless.
Abortion, the Cheapening of all life. 9-9-2021
I remember the formal installation Mass of Bishop, now Cardinal, Sean O’Malley as Bishop of Boston.
In the homily and paraphrasing here he said. When you see the poor, the down and out, the sick the
lame and the dying, if you do not see Jesus Christ in each and everyone of them, then you are not
fulfilling the mission of the Catholic Church.
I would include in that list the most innocent of human life, the unborn slaughtered by abortion and
taken from what should be respected as one of the most sacred places on this earth, the womb of the
mother. If anyone cannot tell the truth about what abortion is, how can we expect they will tell the truth
about anything else? This lack of truth has been profoundly demonstrated in the actions of today’s
politics and policy. Abortion is the willful destruction of innocent human life and that destruction
should be labeled murder and not labeled as any part of “reproductive healthcare”. Abortion is a
perceived need expressed from false based opinion and in full contradiction of truth for the purpose of
self convenience. There is no leadership or principaled self-discipline in directing anyone into the act of
having an abortion. This is not only a moral or religious issue, it is grounded in pure ethics.
Whenever we see a very young child smiling at us, is that not the love of God smiling back at us?
The culture of death pro-abortion minded also like hypotheticals to excuse themselves. So here is one I
encountered and my response to it. A gentleman said to me, in his attempt to justify the act of abortion,
“What if my 14 year old daughter were abducted by a man of another race and subsequently were raped
and became pregnant. Would that not justify abortion?” I answered this way: ‘If you believe you want
to teach your daughter that its ok to give up on any difficult situation in life, then I’m afraid I know
what you would have her do. However, if you want to teach your daughter a true father-daughter
loving and caring relationship, you will stand by her throughout the term of pregnancy, and then decide
upon bringing the miracle of life into this world, whether to give the child to adoption or to keep the
child and raise and love the child herself with your help. Therefore, in that way she would gain a
greater respect for you while gaining a new respect for all human life, and a greater love to the intensity
for you, that when one day you are on your death bed, at the very least she will want to be there for
you.’ His stunned moment of silence yielded no response, and we concluded the conversation with
some sense of mutual respect. I pray that all life has new meaning for him and for his daughter in this
explanation to his hypothetical question. Life is Sacred and foundational to everything that we
perceive and understand. Everyone who is pro-abortion minded, should thank God their own birth-
mother was not. To reject life, is to reject the love of God.
Then I repeat here and add the innocent unborn, in danger of being aborted, to those where within we
see Jesus Christ who are suffering, despondent, down and out, destitute, sick or lame or dying, should
we ever turn our backs to them and leave them to cry out in painful and lonely desperation in
semblance from the cross of Christ, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”*
Art Gentry
*in the reading from the Gospel of Mark.
‘ This is not only a moral or religious issue, it is grounded in pure ethics. ‘
Yes. It is primarily ethical-moral-natural law and preeminently legal.
That the law must first legally recognize personhood in order by law to defend human life, is specious. For instance, the basic make-up of the criminal law at all times and everywhere is precisely the defense of human life in addition to the defense of the person. Things rooted in every court’s “original jurisdiction”.
A court may not corrupt itself.
No court may corrupt itself.
Legal practitioners down through the ages not necessarily religious do fervently recognize such principles and uphold them strictly according to the nature of law and right and good.
It has a regular-going legal manifestation already in the US Constitution, as in the clause to do with natural born citizenship Art. II and the clause recognizing “the judicial power” and the distinction between life and person in dealing with attainder Art. III.
The inverse is also at work in the US Constitution, as a non-citizen of the US is a person who can not attract the array of privileges but nonetheless his life can not just be taken from him. Which is precisely the nature of the matter in legal terms.