The topic of abortion is largely absent from the Republican National Convention, something most delegates appear to be content with.
Following blistering electoral losses over abortion following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, former President Donald Trump has guided the party away from a focus on abortion. This is a stark departure from the past, when abortion traditionally played a major part in Republican messaging. Equally as surprising is the lack of uproar from Republican delegates, who seem content with the shift.
“The core of the party is pro-life. There are some people that are further with it that believe in zero abortions, and that’s their right,” Louisiana delegate William Wallis told Politico. “But a lot of people in the party are realizing that we should not be trying to judge somebody’s life, dictate how somebody lives their life, and they’re focusing more on the policies that are good for all Americans.”
Though Wallis’s apathy to abortion might not be as popular, Republican delegates are widely content with the lack of attention to the subject. For the first time in four decades, the GOP platform, pushed through by Trump loyalists, didn’t call for a constitutional amendment to protect the unborn.
This was reflected in the landslide vote in favor of the new platform, passed in an 84-18 vote.
Trump has led efforts to decenter abortion from the conversation as Democrats ramp up efforts to connect him and Republicans with abortion bans. The Biden campaign has repeatedly claimed Trump will pass a national abortion ban despite the former president upsetting anti-abortion activists in his party with his lack of attention to the topic.
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Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for the overturning of Roe v. Wade but cast its significance as returning the issue to the states where it belongs. Many anti-abortion activists aren’t satisfied with the position.
“We would have loved for [the GOP] to stay a pro-life party,” Live Action activist Anastasia Rogers told Politico. “Ultimately, it boils down to ‘your state, your decision,’ and that sounds a lot like ‘your body, your choice’ to me.”