An Open Letter to Donald Trump–9/16/2020
- Phoenix Congress 2020 represents members of the American Union, who are willing to vote for both Republicans and Democrats in the 471 federal races who will meet our terms, including Donald Trump. This is part of a series of open letters explaining our demands.
September 16th, 2020
Dear President Trump,
Christians are very involved in politics in the United States. In fact, Evangelical Christians make up the largest consistent single voting block in the country. The pursuit of good in the world is not exclusively a Christian idea, but it is one that God has commanded his people, and for the most part, Christians genuinely seek to follow.
Because of this, a large part of your 2016 campaign was gathering the support of the conservative Christian voting block by advocating a pro-life stance on abortion. Most pundits expect you to be able to count on their support again in 2020. You have even claimed to be the most pro-life president in American history.
Mr. President, an honest look at the political strategies that pro-life advocates have used to accomplish their goals over the last several decades would suggest that the strategy has been ineffective. True, abortion rates are down, but that drop can be attributed to increased access to birth control (which prevents unwanted pregnancies), medical care, and social programs that support families. And besides that, abortions are still happening at rates too high for any pro-life advocates to celebrate.
Mr. President, what if there was a way to accomplish pro-life goals immediately, with bipartisan legislation that resolved the underlying issues that cause a majority of abortions in the first place?
Universal basic income (UBI) is an idea that is growing in bipartisan popularity in the United States, with 55% of Americans now supporting it. UBI is the idea that all citizens in a society should have enough resources to meet their basic needs. A universal basic income of just $300 per week would lift every American out of poverty.
But how does UBI connect to abortion? As we have said before, studies have shown that the majority of abortions in the United States are because of economic reasons. 85% of women who undergo abortion procedures in America are in their 20s and 30s–they are women with families (60%), women who do not believe they will be able to afford to care for members of their family (74%), or women who already live below the poverty line at the time of their abortion (50%).
Mr. President, campaigning on policies that drastically change the abortion laws in the United States has produced many votes, but limited results for conservative politicians for decades. UBI is a real, immediately available solution, and it resolves the root cause of up to 80% of abortions that will happen in America this year. That is a staggering number. Any pro-life advocate would be in favor of reducing the number of abortions by 70–80%.
Mr. President, you are the man who can lead the conservative side to the table of compromise and generate the political will to pass a UBI, accomplishing pro-life goals and addressing an array of other social problems facing Americans. The Blueprint for a Better America is a legislative package that makes all of this–and more–possible with real, actionable, immediate solutions.
Will you join us, Mr. President, in a fast for peace on October 15th, signaling your willingness to make a deal, and your intent to sign the Blueprint for a Better America legislation into law by October 30th? The endorsement of the American Union can secure your reelection and a new prosperity for America.
Respectfully yours,
(You can read the next open letter here.)
Other articles on Medium:
A call to action around Martin Luther King, Jr.’s triple evils: The Marginalized Must Unionize in 2020
A look at our duties as Americans and the legislation they inspire: The Blueprint for a Better America
