Delegates at the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Monday approved a new party platform that aligns with presumptive nominee Donald Trump's political positions, including a shift in abortion policy.
The updated platform adopts a leave-it-to-the-states approach to abortion restrictions, moving away from the party's long-standing support for national restrictions on abortion. This change marks a departure from decades of strong GOP advocacy for national abortion limits, as reported by Politico.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., co-chair of the RNC's platform committee, said former President Donald Trump "personally reviewed, edited, and approved" the platform. She commended it for protecting "both the born and the unborn."
The platform passed with overwhelming support on a voice vote, though many delegates voiced opposition in the convention room.
Anti-abortion advocates expressed concerns about the shift.
They argued that the platform represents a retreat from the GOP's historical stance on abortion. Additionally, they raised issues with developing the platform, which they claimed was conducted in secret.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council and a platform committee member, commented on his decision to drop efforts to publicly oppose the platform following Saturday's assassination attempt on Trump. Perkins acknowledged the platform's approval and noted the mixed reactions during the vote.
Dissenting delegates to the RNC previously released a symbolic "minority report" to the party's 2024 platform. The Washington Post reported the delegates argued that the document's treatment of abortion failed to adhere to the founding principles of the country and the Republican Party.
"In no season, under no rationale spurred by the exigencies of a political moment, can or should we abandon the high principles that have created and sustained this party, with God's grace, into a third century," wrote Perkins and the other 18 dissenting delegates on the platform committee, addressing Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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