Taking its cues from former President Donald Trump, the Republican National Committee is softening its stance on federal abortion limits.
The RNC’s platform committee on Monday signed off on a Trump-inspired vision for the party that omits its previous embrace of a human life amendment to the Constitution and a 20-week federal ban on most abortions.
Mr. Trump’s fingerprints are all over the platform which is typical for a party’s presumptive presidential nominee.
The Trump campaign said in a statement the document includes Mr. Trump’s vow to “carry out the largest deportation operation in American history,” end taxes on tips, and prevent World War III.
It pledges to “end inflation,” not to cut a dime from Social Security and Medicare, and end the weaponization of the federal government.
The Republican Convention will take up the platform at the national convention. It is expected to pass.
“President Trump’s 2024 Republican Party Platform articulates his vision to Make America Great Again in a way that is concise and digestible for every voter,” Trump campaign senior advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said. “While Joe Biden and Democrats argue about who will be at the top of their ticket and have implemented policies that have raised prices on everyday families, opened the floodgates to migrant crime via wide-open borders, shackled American energy with red tape forced by Washington bureaucrats, and sewn chaos across the world through weak foreign policy, President Trump will Make America Great Again through these America First principles.”
The statement from the Trump campaign lacked any mention of abortion.
This is the first time the RNC has updated its party platform since 2016.
Speculation has swirled around whether Mr. Trump would seek to water down the abortion language now that the Supreme Court overturned Roe V Wade and sent the issue back to the states.
“Republicans will protect and defend a vote of the people, from within the states, on the issue of life,” the party states, according to a document obtained by The Washington Times. “We proudly stand for families and Life.
“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,” it says. “After 51 years, because of us, that power has been given to the states and to a vote of the people.
“We will oppose late-term abortion, while supporting mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments),” it said.
That marks a sharp departure from the previous platform, which endorsed a human life amendment to the Constitution and a federal Capable Unborn Child Protection Act that bars abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Mr. Trump has taken credit for nominating the conservative justices to the Supreme Court that helped end Roe, which provided a constitutional right to abortion.
But he has warned against running too hard on the issue, suggesting it hurts the party’s chances of winning, and he said the emotional issue was better left to the states to decide.
Pro-life activists have warned the party against moving in this direction. Party insiders have raised concerns that the move could anger the social and religious conservatives who have been among the party’s most faithful ground troops.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.