Donald Trump might run for president in 2012 and last week he addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference where he declared himself pro-life (12:00 at this video which might require registration). He doesn’t have a chance to win the Republican nomination or the White House, but the fact he says he is pro-life and opposes gun control shows how serious he is thinking about throwing his toupee into the ring.
This new position marks a change in attitude on abortion for The Donald. In his 2000 book The America we Deserve, Trump states: “I support a woman’s right to choose, but I am uncomfortable with the procedures.” Both his 2000 and 2011 statements are open to some interpretation, but it is good to hear him say he is now pro-life, even if it is politically motivated. It speaks volumes about American politics and the Republican Party that candidates for the party’s presidential nomination must at the very least tip their hat to pro-life voters. What Trump’s new abortion utterance means in terms of policy is still an open question, but we’ll be hearing more about this if he runs as journalists and political opponents hold him to account for his statements.
