I am adamantly and unapologetically pro-life. It's a problem these days. The Billy Graham Evangelical Association has never wavered supporting Donald Trump. A priest whom I respect for many things (Father Mitch Pacwa on EWTN) has said if there's a pro-life candidate versus one who is not, the only Catholic Christian thing to do is simply and only vote for the pro-life candidate. It is truly diabolical that pro-lifers, whatever our beliefs, must choose between support for the unborn and support for the near-term welfare of our nation. It's that serious.
Ethically, the ends do not justify the means. To get in bed with our current President to derail pro-choice sentiment in our country is taking any means to achieve a worthy end. I shan’t judge, but in Donald Trump’s appeal to America’s heartland in 2016, could it have been just a ploy to solidify those votes? If true, he’d have known to maintain the promises he made, which he did to the best of his abilities, including strengthening religious liberty for everyone. But now look at the effort he’s making towards vote suppression by strangling the United States Postal Service, trying to engineer a situation wherein our November election might be credibly declared invalid. That’s justifying the means by the end (having Donald Trump in the White House for another four years). He takes no prisoners. The only principle he knows is beating the other guy. He may adduce plausible reasons for being against mail-in voting, but to hobble our national mail service — it’s blindingly identical to Black voter suppression practiced in the KKK south.
For pro-life, I see three strikes against supporting President Trump for a second term. The stigma of being so narrow and wrong, having allied itself with Trump, will last for decades. Scandal is the result. Will “pro-life” become a watchword, like biblical Israel became for the consequences of turning their backs on God? Second, it may very likely backfire and create a severely greater pro-abortion feeling during the next administration, thus killing maybe more unborn than would be saved. Certainly, some things would change. But saving babies can be done in many empathetic and wholesome ways before a mother walks into Planned Parenthood. And on that, pro-choice should agree. Third, this postal issue may very well create a constitutional crisis and national rift of proportions not seen since the Civil War.
When he's out, let him go. We need to forget. No statues.
Jim Durand
Anchorage
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