By Dave Andrusko
Speaking at the 15th annual National Catholic Prayer breakfast on Tuesday, Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said that President Trump personally added the strong anti-infanticide message in the annual State of the Union Address.
The Washington Beacon’s Nic Rowan reported that Mulvaney said
that Trump’s comments on abortion in 2019 State of the Union speech, which focused in large part on the then-recent scandal surrounding Virginia governor Ralph Northam’s (D.) apparent endorsement of infanticide, were added in by Trump himself shortly before the speech.
“The president was looking at it the very last time before he went out to give the speech, and he made some notes—he didn’t tell us what he was doing when he made the notes,” Mulvaney said. “If you remember the speech, you heard what the president was writing. The president was writing more about how important it was to protect life and how terrible it was to see what Virginia was doing.”
As NRL News Today reported the day after the February 5th SOTU speech, President Trump lambasted without naming embattled pro-abortion Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam who (the President said) “basically stated he would execute a baby after birth” and called on Congress to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
The President also harshly criticized New York which had just passed its reprehensible “Reproductive Health Act” that both legalized abortion on demand throughout pregnancy and withdrew protections for abortion survivors. He told Congress and the nation
Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth.
To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb.
Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children — born and unborn — are made in the holy image of God.
In his remarks yesterday, Mulvaney also highlighted the Trump administration’s dedication to protecting religious liberties, at home and abroad. “Mulvaney told the audience of Catholic leaders gathered in Washington, D.C., that in addition to emphasizing religious liberty during his public speeches, during private meetings at the White House Trump also speaks with world leaders about the importance of protecting the rights of Christians,” Rowan reported.
Leonard Leo, Executive Vice President of the Federalist Society, seconded Mulvaney’s remarks. Leo
praised the Trump administration’s defense of religious liberty, citing the president’s originalist judicial nominations and his executive order cancelling the individual mandate in President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act requiring businesses to provide contraception for all employees.
“These are several of many actions that mark the commitment of President Donald Trump’s administration to the advancement of religious freedom and belief in this country,” Leo said.