Religious right notches gains under Trump

President Trump’s administration is delivering for social conservatives, who are thrilled by the gains they’ve seen on their core issues of abortion and religious freedom.

Through court appointments, administrative staffing, executive orders and agency guidance, Trump’s presidency has been a triumph for the religious right.

“He was a wild card, for sure, but we feel completely vindicated,” said Penny Nance, president of Concerned Women for America. “Trump has been courageous in ways other Republicans, including George W. Bush, have never been. Who knew that a billionaire playboy from Manhattan would be the most pro-life president in history?”

Many social and religious conservatives view the last week as a watershed moment.

On Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would roll back an ObamaCare requirement that employers include birth control coverage in their health insurance plans. The move exempts companies that might object to providing birth control on moral or religious grounds.

On the same day, the Justice Department issued a 20-page, government-wide memo detailing the ways the administration would protect those who “act or abstain from action in accordance with one’s religious beliefs.”

Also last week, the House passed a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who played golf with Trump on Monday, has introduced companion legislation in the Senate. Trump has said he will sign the bill if Congress sends it to his desk.

“It has been a banner year for pro-lifers,” said Jeanne Mancini, the president of March for Life.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/354629-religious-right-notches-gains-under-trump