Throughout the first few weeks of his second term, President Donald Trump has acted swiftly to reaffirm his status as the most pro-life president in modern American history. Here are his most noteworthy actions to date in protecting the unborn.

Rescinded Federal Funding for Abortion

Within a week of his January 20 inauguration, Trump signed multiple executive orders rolling back Biden-era policies on abortion funding.

One order called for stricter implementation of the Hyde Amendment, a legislative provision that has prohibited federal funding for abortions for nearly 50 years. This order reversed Biden administration policies that had subtly integrated abortion funding into various government programs in violation of this bipartisan measure.

Trump’s order specifically rescinded two Biden executive orders that violated the Hyde Amendment.

The first, Biden Executive Order 14076, established an “Interagency Task Force on Reproductive Health Access,” specifically directing the Department of Health and Human Services to promote access to abortion and gather pro bono attorneys to prosecute reproductive rights cases – including pursuing what many conservatives viewed as politicized prosecutions of pro-life activists and organizations.

Trump’s order also reversed Biden’s Executive Order 14079, which allocated taxpayer dollars to cover travel costs for elective abortions through Medicaid.

Notably, Trump’s order maintains existing protections for genuine pregnancy-related medical emergencies and ensures patient privacy.

Ended Taxpayer Funding of Overseas Abortion

Also, during his first week in office, Trump signed a memorandum reinstating the Mexico City policy, which prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortion overseas. This includes blocking U.S. federal funding for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) providing abortion counseling or referrals.

Specifically, Trump has ordered the Secretary of State “to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars do not fund organizations or programs that support or participate in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.”

Trump initially restored the Mexico City policy in 2017, but the Biden administration reversed that decision shortly after taking power.

Affirming that Life Begins at Conception

On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order on “defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.” The major headline from that order was that the government would officially only recognize two genders, male and female, which are “not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”

But in that same order, Trump also made an explicit reference to life beginning at conception. Specifically, the order states that “‘female’ means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell,” and “‘male’ means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the small reproductive cell” (emphasis added).

Reforming FACE Act Prosecutions

Late last month, the Trump Department of Justice announced changes to how it will enforce the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a 1994 law that has been weaponized by Democrat administrations to target pro-life activists.

Moving forward, the Trump DOJ has said that “future abortion-related FACE Act prosecutions and civil actions will be permitted only in extraordinary circumstances, or in cases presenting significant aggravating factors, such as death, serious bodily harm, or serious property damage.” In addition, the Trump DOJ announced the dismissal of three pending FACE Act cases.

While the FACE Act is supposed to protect abortion centers and pro-life facilities equally, it has, in practice, been wielded almost exclusively as a legal weapon against the pro-life movement. As Erin Hawley of the Alliance Defending Freedom recently wrote for Newsweek, “Of the 55 defendants charged under the law [during the Biden administration], 50 were pro-life. And of the 24 cases actually prosecuted, only two were in defense of pregnancy care centers. The Biden Justice Department did not prosecute a single one of the 436 attacks on churches that took place in 2023 alone.”

Now, that pattern of one-sided enforcement may finally be changing with Trump back in office.

J.D. Vance Speaks at the March for Life

In 2020, Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to address the March for Life, the largest annual gathering of pro-life activists, affirming his commitment to the pro-life cause.

This year, his new vice president, J.D. Vance, built on that legacy by delivering remarks to a crowd of thousands. “We march to protect the unborn,” Vance said in the bitter January cold. “We march to proclaim and live out the sacred truth that every single child is a miracle and a gift from God.”

“Our society has failed to recognize that the obligation one generation has to another is a core part of living in a society to begin with,” Vance continued. “So let me say very simply, I want more babies in the United States of America. I want more happy children in our country. And I want beautiful young men and women who are eager to welcome them into the world and eager to raise them.”

Vance’s words echoed what some call “Pro-Life 3.0” — merging traditional pro-life stances with proposals for expanded child care support, paid family leave, and increased child tax credits.

Pardoned Pro-Life Activists Persecuted by the Biden Administration

On the same day Vance was speaking at the March for Life on the National Mall, Trump also pardoned 23 pro-life activists prosecuted under the FACE Act by the Biden administration for peacefully protesting outside abortion clinics.

“23 people were prosecuted. They should not have been prosecuted,” Trump said while signing the pardon. “Many of them are elderly people. They should not have been prosecuted. This is a great honor to sign this.”

The implementation of these pro-life policies suggests that the Trump-Vance administration intends to make the protection of unborn life a centerpiece of its second-term agenda. Americans can thus expect plenty more pro-life wins over the next four years.

Sarah Katherine Sisk is a senior at Hillsdale College pursuing a degree in Economics and Journalism. You can follow her on X @SKSisk76.