Is Donald Trump really the most pro-life president ever?

On Friday, thousands of people from across the nation arrived to hear him address the crowds at the 2020 March for Life in DC. A sea of MAGA hats lined the streets as we walked to the steps of the Supreme Court. My stomach was in knots as I watched throngs of young people wave large Trump flags while others held signs that read, “The Most Pro-life President Ever,” with Trump’s face emblazoned across them.

When it comes to abortion, Trump gets credit from many for selecting Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, but Kavanaugh told Sen. Susan Collins that Roe vs Wade was settled law.

Trump also restored Ronald Reagan’s Mexico City Policy, which blocks nongovernmental organizations from using federal funds to promote abortion services in other nations. But so did George W. Bush. It’s basically a Republican presidential tradition to do so at this point.

The only truly notable action Trump has taken so far was securing some well-deserved federal funds for life-affirming pregnancy resources, but, even still, George W. Bush has him beat in that arena. So, the term “the most pro-life president ever” sounds like something created by his strategists and fed to the movement like pabulum. Other than those things, his stance has mostly just been talk.

To make matters worse, that talk is encouraging others to real action.

We’ve seen some extreme bills passed in New York and Virginia allowing abortion up until the moment of birth. There are now dozens of internet articles explaining all the ways women can self-abort if Roe vs. Wade is overturned. These types of actions are not just incredibly dangerous for the unborn child, but for women as well. Furthermore, Planned Parenthood recently released its annual report for 2019, stating it had a record year under Trump’s presidency.

At the march in Washington, as the MAGA-clad marchers passed by, I felt as though I were living in the fable of the emperor who had no clothes. This pro-life talking point has permeated our movement so widely, it‘s as if a toxic cloud of groupthink had enveloped everyone around me. It was like watching a Jedi mind trick play out in real time. This line has been repeated so much it is now accepted as truth, even though no one could tell me exactly why.

Ironically, the theme for this year’s march was “Pro-Life is Pro-Woman.” And yet, here we had a keynote address from a man who has cheated on his wives. A man who has exhibited predatory behavior. A man who has tried to silence women with money, and who uses sexist terms against female journalists who dare speak the truth about him. A man who has no qualms about separating born children from their parents at the border. And somehow the crowd chanted “four more years” as he exited the stage.

As a pro-life feminist, I carried a different sign. It read: “Women have abortions because of the sexual ethics of men like Trump.”

While many marchers were thrilled that Trump was the first sitting president to address the march in person, I saw it differently, as a strategic political stunt to firm up a very large base of supporters in an election year.

Many argued that he brought a lot of extra media coverage to the march, but this is not the type of attention our movement needs. Tying ourselves to one of the most sexist, polarizing figures in modern politics will only serve to hurt our cause for years to come. It makes us look like hypocrites who don’t actually care for the amazing women who do bring their children into the world.

And this is where Trump and I differ. I don’t work to merely make abortion illegal. I work make it unthinkable and unnecessary. I am pushing for a society where women are so empowered that they don’t have to choose between children and education or career.

When we focus merely on the legality of abortion, we are ignoring the very real reasons many women feel they need it to begin with. We are ignoring the desperation they feel when facing an unplanned pregnancy, and we fail to address their concerns through life-affirming policies that actually offer them the support systems they need to choose life.

A truly pro-life president would make choosing life easier for women, and so far, Trump has not. The emperor is indeed naked, and last weekend we were all made to look like fools on a very public stage thanks to him. It’s time for pro-life activists to promote the policies, bills and candidates who affirm the full spectrum of life.

Destiny Herndon-De La Rosa is a writer in Richardson and the founder of New Wave Feminists. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.