A party so committed to the death penalty, military adventures, and cuts to essential social programs never had much of a claim to be “pro-life.” The pandemic and climate change, however, have taken this hypocrisy to a much higher plane.
The GOP’s unstated but real position on climate change is that deaths due to wildfires and hurricanes are an acceptable level of collateral damage in exchange for preserving the economic benefits associated with the use of fossil fuels. The party’s stance on the pandemic is that the poor, elderly, and sick should sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the economy and Trump’s electoral success. “Pro-life,” indeed.
Are the party members aware of this contradiction? Most likely, they just don’t care. Potential life is more attractive to them than actual life. It certainly causes less trouble.