(Oregon Right to Life) — The Republican National Committee (RNC)’s platform committee on Monday approved the draft of a new, noticeably scaled-down GOP platform that reframes the party’s stance on abortion. Pro-life leaders have largely signaled support for the new document after expressing concern in previous weeks that significant language about abortion would be stripped out.
The new platform, which will still need to be approved by the full RNC during the GOP convention on July 15, contains a short passage about abortion that emphasizes the role of the states in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision that overturned the federal “right” to abortion.
“We proudly stand for families and life,” the new GOP draft platform reads. “We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied life or liberty without due process and that the states are, therefore, free to pass laws protecting those rights.”
“After 51 years, because of us, that power has been given to the states and to a vote of the people,” the platform continues. “We will oppose late term abortion while supporting mothers and policies that advance prenatal care, access to birth control, and IVF (fertility treatments).”
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In a statement, National Right to Life president Carol Tobias praised the GOP’s language affirming protections for the unborn and vulnerable women.
“We thank the platform committee for its hard work ensuring that the party’s goal of protecting women and their preborn children is clearly stated,” Tobias said. “In contrast to what the Democratic Party offers to women and their preborn children, the Republican Party Platform offers life and hope.”
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser similarly recognized the Republican Party’s affirmation of pro-life principles.
“It is important that the GOP reaffirmed its commitment to protect unborn life today through the 14th Amendment,” Dannenfelser said. “Under this amendment, it is Congress that enacts and enforces its provisions. The Republican Party remains strongly pro-life at the national level.”
Not all pro-life leaders were satisfied with the new platform, however.
Notably absent from the new document is the type of explicit pro-life language found in the 2016 GOP platform, including the assertion that “the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.” Additionally, unlike the 2016 platform, the new document does not call for “a human life amendment to the Constitution.”
Live Action president and founder Lila Rose called the new platform a “downgrade” and argued that the issue of abortion isn’t one that should be handled exclusively at the state level.
“President Trump won in 2016 running on protections for life that have been in the GOP platform for 40 years and his promise to appoint strong constitutional judges,” Rose also said. “Trump’s recent statements on life, and the downgraded GOP platform protections on life he’s approved, are alienating some of his most passionate supporters and will win exactly zero fence sitters.”
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Meanwhile, Students for Life of America president Kristan Hawkins called the platform a “win” but explained there’s much work still to be done.
“Two things can be true at the same time: 1) The GOP Platform acknowledging that the [14th] Amendment protects preborn children was a big win today. 2) President Trump is wrong when he says abortion isn’t federal…as the Biden Admin has masterfully, yet tragically demonstrated,” Hawkins continued in a separate thread on X. “Now, pro-lifers must unite and demand we get a new deal from President Trump as we had in 2016.”
Hawkins called on Trump to “commit to debar [and] defund Planned Parenthood of all federal tax dollars and call for the defeat of extreme, late-term abortion state referendums” if re-elected.
In assessing the provisions of the new GOP platform, pro-life leaders have focused primarily on contrasting the Republican Party platform with the actions of the Biden-Harris Administration.
“The Democratic Party is the party of unlimited abortion—even abortions late in pregnancy,” Carol Tobias said. “To appease the abortion industry and its supporters, the Biden-Harris Administration and pro-abortion Democrats in Congress have worked relentlessly and intentionally to endanger the lives of unborn babies.”
“The mission of the pro-life movement, for the next four months, must be to defeat the Biden-Harris extreme abortion agenda,” Marjorie Dannenfelser said.
Oregon Right to Life believes in the sanctity of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death. Abortion ends the life of a genetically distinct, growing human being. We oppose abortion at any point of gestation. In rare cases, a mother may have a life threatening condition in which medical procedures intended to treat the condition of the mother may result in the unintended death of her preborn baby. At the same time, ORTL recognizes that modern medical practice has and will continue to increase the ability to save both the life of the mother and the baby. Read this and all of our position statements here.
