Despite the overturning of Roe v. Wade, a significant number of Republicans continue to support exceptions for abortion, including in cases of rape and incest. This position, which allows for the termination of unborn life in certain circumstances, stands in contrast to a small but vocal group of Christians and conservatives who strongly oppose abortion in all cases and rightly view it as the equivalent of murder.

Some Republican leaders have been misled by false narratives promulgated by those on the political left, which suggest that conservatives support forcing a woman to continue a pregnancy even if it poses a grave risk to her life, such as in the case of an ectopic pregnancy. However, this is not accurate. In reality, conservatives who oppose abortion in any circumstance, also known as abolitionists, believe that every effort should be made to save both the mother’s and the unborn child’s lives whenever possible. They understand that, in some rare cases, it may be impossible to save the life of the unborn child, and they view such situations as tragic rather than as justifications for abortion. It is important to note that the position of conservative abolitionists is distinct from the false narrative that suggests they support forcing a woman to carry a pregnancy to term even if it poses a serious risk to her life.

Further, abolitionists, or those who staunchly oppose abortion, are firm in the belief that the person responsible for the crime of rape or incest should be held accountable, not the innocent child who is conceived as a result. They view the child as a human being, made in the image of God, who does not deserve to be punished with death for the actions of their father. While the situation may be difficult and traumatic for the mother, the child is not responsible for the crime and should not be denied their right to life. Abolitionists are unwavering in their conviction that it is important to uphold the right to life in these situations and hold the perpetrator of the crime accountable, rather than punishing the innocent child.

Former President Donald Trump is now among those who are championing such exceptions. As reported in Breitbart, Trump is now arguing for exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.

Trump also warned of another “trap” he said Democrats laid for Republicans that he said too many fell into, which is on abortion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Trump, whose judicial appointments, including the three Supreme Court justices Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett, were critical to overturning the controversial Roe decision, was arguably one of if not the most pro-life presidents in history. Even so, Trump argued that Republicans must support what he called “the three exceptions”—for rape, incest, and the life of the mother—to any measures banning abortion, or else they face electoral elimination in most of America. Trump specifically singled out Michigan GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon and Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano, both of whom lost their respective races this year after taking hardline positions without such exceptions.

“Now, I think a lot of Republicans didn’t handle the abortion question properly,” Trump told Breitbart News. “I think if you don’t have the three exceptions, it’s almost impossible in most parts of the country to win. If you don’t have three exceptions—I said to a very nice man running for governor of Pennsylvania, ‘If you don’t have the three exceptions, you can’t win.’ Same thing with Tudor. She didn’t have the three exceptions. I say this to the Republican Party: If you don’t have the three exceptions, because you know the Democrats are radical and they’ll kill the baby at nine months or they’ll kill the baby after the baby is born. Okay? That’s more radical. But, you know a 15 or 16 week period of time, but you have to have the three exceptions. If you don’t have the three exceptions, you’re destined to doom.”

I say this as one who supported Trump and voted for him in 2020. Despite his apparent efforts to advance the conservative agenda by appointing conservative judges to the Supreme Court and successfully overturning Roe v. Wade, President Trump’s recent concessions to the pro-abortion narrative and his support for the LGBTQ community have raised concerns about his commitment to the conservative cause. These actions, sadly, will be seen as undermining the core values of conservatism and leading to a lack of consistency in his dedication to the movement. It is important to note that while Trump may have achieved some successes on behalf of the conservative agenda, his actions on these particular issues have raised questions about his overall commitment to the cause.