Journal: Eikon
Volume: EIKON 07:1 (Spring 2025)
Article: Our Pronatalist Moment: A Christian Evaluation
Author: David Closson

Eikon 7.1 (Spring 2025) p. 26

Our Pronatalist Moment: A Christian Evaluation

David Closson

David Closson is the Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council and author of Life After Roe: Equipping Christians in the Fight for Life Today.

Eikon 7.1 (Spring 2025) p. 27

Our Pronatalist Moment: A Christian Evaluation

Four days after being sworn in as the nation’s fiftieth vice president, J.D. Vance stood on stage at the nation’s premier pro-life event and declared, “I want more babies in the United States of America.”1 Vance’s remarks were not unexpected, as he had a strong pro-life voting record during his two years in the U.S. Senate. However, his comments were received by many through the lens of a growing cultural debate: the pronatalism movement. Supporters of this movement celebrated the statement as a sign that their views were entering the political mainstream. Conversely, critics expressed concern, seeing it as a troubling endorsement of a worldview they believe threatens environmental sustainability and undermines women’s autonomy.

The early months of President Donald Trump’s second term have ushered in a series of significant pro-life policy initiatives. Shortly after taking office, Trump pardoned twenty-three pro-life activists who had been convicted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act during the Biden administration, rescinded multiple pro-abortion executive orders, and reinstated the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits U.S. tax dollars from funding organizations that perform or promote abortion abroad. Additionally, the United States rejoined the Geneva Consensus Declaration, which affirms that “there is no international right to abortion.”2

The Trump administration has also embraced policies championed by pronatalist advocates. On February 18, the president signed an executive order titled “Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization.” Although the order did not change existing policy, it acknowledged “family formation” as a national priority and emphasized that “our public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children.”3 Furthermore, in late January, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy issued a memo directing the department to “give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.”4 Both the in vitro fertilization (IVF) order and the Department of Transportation memo drew international attention, with commentators suggesting they ...