Trump's comments came amid a day in which several pro-life activists and leaders addressed CPAC. Earlier Saturday morning, conference attendees had heard from Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director who now works as a pro-life activist.
Johnson's change of views on abortion is the subject of the upcoming film Unplanned, set for release later this month.
Following the president's speech, pro-life and disability rights activist Gianna Jessen joined Live Action founder Lila Rose for a panel discussion titled "Left for Dead: Are There No Limits to the Progressive War on Humanity?"
Jessen spoke about her own personal experience of late term-abortion and the perspective it gave her on recent debates. She was born alive following a failed saline abortion on April 6, 1977. Her biological mother was 17 years old and 30 weeks pregnant. Jessen's birth certificate was signed by her abortionist, who had not yet arrived to work that morning.
"Had he been there, he would have ended my life with strangulation, suffocation, or leaving me there to die," said Jessen. "I always say, if abortion is about women's rights, then what were mine?"
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. When you subscribe to the CNA UPDATE, we'll send you a daily email with links to the news you need and, occasionally, breaking news.
As part of this free service you may receive occasional offers from us at EWTN News and EWTN. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Due the circumstances of her birth, Jessen has what she calls the "gift" of cerebral palsy. Despite doctors believing that she would be unable to ever walk or hold her head up, Jessen has completed two marathons and will be climbing a mountain in Italy.
She said that she does not consider herself to be a victim, and finds her strength in her faith in Jesus Christ.
Jessen said she was "grateful" for her life, and "absolutely horrified" by what was going on in the United States. She credited the growing legal push for late-term abortion to a culture that has rejected God and does not understand the inherent worth of human life.