Former President Donald J. Trump on Monday pledged to work with leaders of the Danbury Institute, a Christian coalition of churches, organizations and conservative activists that calls for the “total eradication” of abortion in the United States.
“Now is the time for all of us to come together and stand up for our values ​​and our freedoms,” Trump said in a video address to the group. “I stand with you.”
Trump did not mention abortion in his speech, but promised that the group would “come back like never before” in a second Trump term. “It's going to be your time now,” he vowed.
“You can't vote for a Democrat because they're against religion,” Trump continued, “and they're specifically against your religion.”
The Danbury Institute, which met in Indianapolis as part of the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting, opposes abortion in all cases, including rape, incest and cases where the mother's life is in danger. It also maintains that life begins at conception, a belief often used to support restrictions on some sterilization and birth control.
At a panel discussion before Trump's speech, supporters of the group called on the anti-abortion movement to go further and oppose referendums that would enshrine abortion rights in state constitutions.
“We need to pressure our lawmakers to remember that they are under God,” said Tom Ascol, a prominent Southern Baptist pastor. “Jesus Christ rules and governs the world, and lawmakers are accountable to Him.”
Shortly before Trump's speech, Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, called for Southern Baptists to pass the first-ever resolution opposing in vitro fertilization.
Trump has sought to take credit for the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade by a 6-3 vote, with three justices he appointed in the majority. But Trump has also said he would not sign a 15-week federal abortion ban and believes restrictions such as whether to prosecute women for abortions or monitor their pregnancies should be left to individual states.
Biden's campaign is eager to debate abortion rights, a motivating issue for women, in November and slammed Trump's decision to address the group.
“If you want to know who Trump will be running for in a second term, look no further than who he spends his time talking to: anti-abortion extremists who call abortion 'child sacrifice' and want to eradicate it 'total,'” campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitica said. “A second term for Trump is sure to bring an even more radical anti-abortion stance, with no exceptions.”