The Republican National Committee’s Platform Committee adopted a new Republican Party platform on Monday that addresses the issue of abortion, signaling a shift in the party’s stance more in line with the views of former President Donald Trump.
According to the document obtained by ABC News, the platform states that Republicans “oppose late-term abortion, but support mothers and policies that promote prenatal care, access to birth control and in vitro fertilization.”
The section on abortion also states that Republicans “believe” that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution “guarantees that no person shall be denied life or liberty without due process, and therefore states are free to make laws to protect those rights,” supporting Trump’s view that the issue should be decided at the state level.
This is a change from previous Republican policy, which supported a federal ban on abortions within 20 weeks.
A spokesman for the Republican National Convention said the full membership of the convention will vote to formally endorse the platform on the convention floor, where the party meets next week in Milwaukee.
Committee members said Trump called the meeting on Monday morning and “explained why” parts of the platform were included. During the meeting, Trump also voiced his approval of the draft Republican platform, according to sources.
The new platform could signal changes to Republican positions on key issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage and immigration, and reforms would likely reflect Trump’s beliefs, platform committee members and Trump allies said.
Party platforms clearly state positions on foreign and domestic policy, but they are non-binding and do not directly influence the work of elected officials or candidates.
The committee’s move Monday comes as abortion remains a key issue for voters in an election year that is expected to see a close race between President Trump and Joe Biden.
In 2016, the Republican Party adopted a strict, conservative platform on issues of gender and sexual orientation during its first nomination of Trump, despite efforts by some moderates in the party to soften the language. The exact same platform was approved in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for party committees to convene and adjust the language. At the party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump was chosen as the party’s candidate for the second time.
Trump’s 2016 and 2020 platform supports a federal ban on abortion before 20 weeks. Republican platform since the 1980s has voiced support for a constitutional amendment that asserts the sanctity and protection of human life, including that of the unborn.
Now in 2024, Republicans will be finalizing their party platform for the first time since the Dobbs decision overturned the constitutional right to abortion more than two years ago. The plan could go a long way in cementing the ideals of a party reshaped by a former president who has made clear his opposition to a federal ban on abortion and that the issue should be left to the states.
Trump’s stance on reproductive rights has unnerved some anti-abortion activists and members of the Republican National Committee, who have expressed concern that his call for a “Right to Life” amendment will be removed from this year’s election platform.
Speaking to ABC News after the 84-14 vote, platform committee members said there was “wide unanimity” over the language, even among socially conservative members who have been vocal in their opposition to a platform that reflected Trump’s stance on abortion.
“A lot of people stood up and grabbed the microphone. [during a comment section]”And for the most part, things have been really upbeat. People were happy to see the document,” the congressman said.
After the vote, Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, a leading anti-abortion leader and one of the people who lobbied the Trump campaign on this year’s bill, issued a statement in support of the document.
“It is significant that Republicans today reaffirmed their commitment to protecting unborn life through the 14th Amendment, under which Congress enacts and enforces. The Republican Party remains strongly pro-life at the national level. The mission of the pro-life movement over the next six months will be to defeat the Biden-Harris extreme abortion agenda,” Dannenfelser wrote.
“This platform will allow us to reach 10 million voters with our winning message through 4 million visits in key battleground states,” Dannenfelser added.
ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd, Hannah Demissie and Larry Ibsa contributed to this report.
