After many months of anticipation, Election Day 2024 is finally behind us. In just two months, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States of America.
At Alliance Defending Freedom, we know that no matter who sits in the White House, the Lord God sits on His throne. That trust in God’s providence can keep us from living in anxiety about anything that may happen in our country or our world because we know that our God has already triumphed.
At the same time, we understand that the presidential election directly affects the work ADF is called to do here on this earth. The previous administration launched broad attacks on some of our most fundamental freedoms, and there’s much work to be done to reverse the effects of those attacks.
Looking back
The Biden administration pursued numerous destructive policies during the last four years. To start, the administration’s radical new rule attempting to redefine “sex” in Title IX to include “gender identity” threatens both the privacy and safety of women and girls.
ADF filed five separate lawsuits challenging this attempted rewrite of Title IX, and courts in all five cases granted our requests to temporarily halt the changes while the lawsuits proceed. Between our lawsuits and others, the Biden administration’s radical new Title IX rules have been paused in 26 states.
Next, ADF is standing against the Biden administration’s attempts to push its radical pro-abortion agenda in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. In just one example, the administration attempted to misuse the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) to force emergency room doctors in Idaho to perform abortions in violation of state law.
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador, together with attorneys from ADF and Cooper & Kirk, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the Biden administration from misusing EMTALA in this way. During oral argument, the administration acknowledged it could not force health-care providers to perform abortions against their consciences—a departure from what it argued in lower courts. And while the Supreme Court did not rule on the merits and sent the case back to lower courts, it left Idaho’s law “almost entirely intact.”
These are just a couple of the many examples of the Biden administration’s reckless disregard for fundamental American freedoms. President Trump’s election victory has set the stage for ADF to begin the work of undoing the damage caused by the last administration.
Looking forward
In the months and years ahead, we’ll learn more about the agenda for a second Trump term. But in the meantime, we expect that this new administration will introduce fresh opportunities to reverse many harmful Biden-era policies.
Thankfully, President Trump has voiced support for parental rights and advocated against censorship both online and on campus. And as in 2016, the president-elect has pledged to appoint judges and justices who will uphold the Constitution.
Our new president-elect has a chance to advance an agenda for America that will allow freedom and families to flourish. Here are three key ways in which a second Trump administration can advance freedom for every American:
- Rejecting government censorship: It is imperative that the United States protect the sacred right to freedom of speech.
- Uprooting dangerous gender ideology: Denying the reality that we are created male and female has caused immeasurable harm.
- Dismantling the administrative state: The rule of law must be fortified and the integrity of our judiciary protected.
In addition to these issues, Americans paid special attention to the issue of life this election cycle. ADF celebrates the victories in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota. There remains much work to do, but these states have chosen to remain free to promote policies that protect unborn life and empower mothers.
Unfortunately, similar pro-abortion amendments have passed in several other states. Activists are likely to use these measures to push for late-term abortions, taxpayer-funded abortions, the removal of parental notification laws for when a minor gets an abortion, and the stripping away of conscience protections for medical professionals who do not want to participate in abortion.
One thing is clear: the pro-life movement will continue to provide life-affirming care for women and children, recognizing the inherent dignity of every human life. Life is a human right, and it must be safeguarded.
At the end of the day, whether on the question of abortion or any other issue, God is in control. While Trump’s election is providing hope on multiple fronts, at ADF, we remember that our ultimate hope is in the Triune God who made heaven and earth.
No matter who sits in the Oval Office, our God rules and reigns from heaven. With reliance on Him, ADF’s work to protect everyone’s right to live and speak the truth will continue.
