Anti-Abortion Leaders Are Meeting Trump’s Overtures With Very Cautious Optimism

“We’re eagerly waiting for him to be that ‘most pro-life president’ that he says that he is for the movement.”

Trump March for Life

The start of Trump’s second term coincided with the annual National March for Life. Ben Curtis/AP

After spending much of the 2024 campaign moving away from the anti-abortion movement, President Donald Trump and his administration spent their first week in office trying to win it back.

The start of Trump’s second term coincided with the annual National March for Life. His vice president, JD Vance, made his first official appearance as VP at the event and told marchgoers that Trump’s White House homecoming represented “the return of the most pro-family, most pro-life American president of our lifetimes.” Trump also took several executive actions to prove that his administration, as he said in a video addressing the march on Friday, would “stand proudly for families and for life.”

“It’s been quite a ride through the election, without question. This is the first presidential election since Dobbs. So what happens now is really important,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told NOTUS. “All those are good indications that we believe we’re headed to ‘Trump One’ policies, pro-life policies. And if that’s the case, then I think we’re in great shape.”