Our friends at the Family Research Council’s FRC Action have alerted us to some alarming developments regarding the Republican Party Platform Committee deliberations being conducted today and tomorrow.
First, in an alarming development, for the first time in our memory – attending 11 Republican National Conventions – no guests or media will be allowed to attend and watch the Platform Committee Meetings July 8 and 9. This is an unprecedented development. Historically this has not been the case and it is important that the process is carried out in the normal open fashion – not behind closed doors.
Second, rumors keep circulating that major changes in the Pro Life plank of the GOP Platform are being contemplated. Support for the protection of life from conception to natural death has been a central element of the Republican Party Platform for decades.
While it remains to be seen what particular changes may be made to the written platform, the RNC is widely expected to consider moderating its stance, removing language predating the Dobbs decision that states the Republican Party supports “a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the (14th) Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth” and remove a call on Congress to pass a 20-week federal ban on abortion.
The Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned prior precedent declaring abortion as a constitutional right and returned the matter back to the legislative branch.
As our friends at Advancing American Freedom noted in a recent letter to the RNC, “Since the 1980 convention that nominated President Ronald Reagan, the RNC platform has been clear: Republicans stand for life.”
“For half a century, pro-life activists have stood strong against withering cultural critics, who urged us to move on from protecting the most vulnerable amongst us and overturning Roe v. Wade. Thanks to that bravery, perseverance, and dedication in defending the sanctity of human life, Roe now rests on the ash heap of history, a monument to the pro-life movement’s fifty-year battle to protect life,” the letter said. “Today, however, rumors continue to swirl that some in the party want to wash their hands of the fight for life and surrender conservative principles in the name of political expediency and, even worse, lock pro-life Republicans out of their platform meetings.”
The activists’ letter argued the RNC platform is “more than a messaging document. It is the roadmap to the future and a commitment to the American voters of what it means to be a Republican. Most importantly, it is a promise to unborn Americans to never stop fighting for their right to life.”
The letter asked RNC delegates “to support pro-life planks and vote down any platform that weakens the party’s commitment to the cause of life.”
We urge CHQ readers and friends to go to FRC Action’s Platform Integrity Project website and use the tools there to contact your state’s representatives on the Platform Committee. Let them know you demand an open Platform Committee process and no deviation from the Republican Party’s longstanding commitment to the Right to Life of every human being.
2024 Election
Republican Party Platform
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Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health
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abortion
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Pro-life planks
Conservatives need a new political party to represent them. My suggestion is the Founders Party of America. Check out their website.
We cannot trust the GOP on this issue. They have totally dropped the ball since Roe v. Wade was overturned. They have also performed terribly in every election since President Trump was elected. The "red tidal wave" predicted every election cycle have been, at best, puddles.