Trump vows to consider reimplementing ban on financing abortion abroad

Washington, DC Newsroom October 18, 2024 / 9:55 am

Former President Donald Trump said he will consider reimplementing the ban on taxpayer funding for abortion abroad as well as establishing religious exemptions for any government program that requires health insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization (IVF) during an interview on 17 October with EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo.

The former president was interviewed on “The World Over with Raymond Arroyo” on Thursday night, before the annual Al Smith dinner hosted by the Archdiocese of New York. During the interview, he made a direct appeal to Catholic voters, spoke fondly of the Church and criticized his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, for not attending the dinner in person.

Arroyo asked Trump several questions about abortion and in vitro fertilization, particularly whether the former president would reinstate the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits taxpayer funding of organizations that provide abortions abroad. The rule was first implemented during the Reagan administration and has been the policy of every Republican president since then, including the previous Trump administration.

“We’re going to take a very good, serious look,” Trump said, without committing to reimplementing the policy.

Arroyo also pressed Trump for additional details about a plan he announced in August to impose a rule that the government or insurance companies pay for in vitro fertilization. The Catholic Church opposes in vitro fertilization because it separates procreation from the conjugal act and destroys millions of human embryonic lives.

When asked whether he would support a religious exemption for those who oppose in vitro fertilization, Trump said, “I haven’t been asked that, but it seems like a good idea to me.”

“It’s a very popular thing, but certainly if there’s a religious issue, I think people should embrace that,” said the 2024 Republican presidential candidate. “(I) really think they should be able to do that. But let’s look at it.”

Trump said religious freedom is “a stance I have taken from the beginning and I will maintain it.” He contrasted his approach with that of his opponent, saying: “I really defend everything that you defend and that the Church defends. And she doesn’t. She is a very different type of person. She is a Marxist. His father was a Marxist and still is a Marxist. And they don’t like religion very much.”

“I am completely in favor of religion and I also really like the Catholic Church”, he emphasized.

Trump sharply criticized Harris for not attending the Al Smith dinner, which both major party candidates have attended during presidential election years for nearly four decades, saying the event “honors the Catholic Church” and that he “is a long-time supporter.”

“I’m surprised she’s not here,” Trump said. “I think she’s the first in many, many decades, actually, not to be a candidate. It has always been a tradition. So I’m just happy that Catholics are going to vote for Trump now. But no, look, I have a special relationship with the Catholic Church and I think it was very important to be here.”

Arroyo also asked about Trump frequently playing “Ave Maria” at rallies and recently making social media posts honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Michael the Archangel. The former president said that these posts do not reflect a spiritual journey, but that he simply finds them “very beautiful.”

“It’s just beautiful to me,” Trump said. “I mean, I look at everything, the words and the images. The photos are so beautiful.”

The Catholic vote will likely be competitive in November. According to a September Pew Research Center poll, about 52% of Catholics support Trump and 47% support Harris.