For months, the Republican Party and pro-life leaders have been engaged in a public and often acrimonious tussle over abortion policy and how it would diverge from the GOP’s longtime pro-life party platform. 

Former President Donald Trump’s April decision to oppose a national abortion ban sparked off a series of exchanges between the camps, including a letter signed by 10 high-profile leaders in the pro-life movement who warned against weakening the language in a pro-life plank, the replacement of two pro-life delegates on the platform committee with Trump loyalists, the decision to restrict the public and media from party platform committee proceedings, and an enraged all-caps post from Trump on his social media platform Truth Social.

But for now, at least, the pro-life movement appears willing to cede ground and work in cooperation with the Trump-led GOP against their common enemy: Joe Biden and the pro-abortion rights Democrats. 

On Monday morning, the 2024 Republican convention platform committee plank on abortion was released, and despite claiming to “stand for families and life,” it does not include a call for a constitutional amendment to grant personhood protections for the unborn as it had for decades. It also voices explicit support for IVF (in vitro fertilization) and contraception.

Dannenfelser’s Statement

In a statement issued in the hours following the document’s release, Marjorie Dannenfelser of Susan B. Anthony for America praised the revised plank for its commitment to protect unborn life while refraining from criticizing its deficiencies:

“The Republican Party remains strongly pro-life at the national level,” it read. “The mission of the pro-life movement, for the next four months, must be to defeat the Biden-Harris extreme abortion agenda. The platform allows us to provide the winning message to 10 million voters, with four million visits at the door in key battleground states. We are educating voters on the Biden-Harris promotion of abortion for any reason even in the seventh, eighth, or ninth month. We contrast that with protecting the states’ ability to create consensus pro-life laws and provide compassionate options for women and children.”

Others in the pro-life community, such as Kristi Hamrick of Students for Life of America, saw the final language as a partial victory. 

In an interview with Catholic News Agency, Hamrick said that, while not perfect, the statement scores two big victories for the pro-life movement with its condemnation of late-term abortion and its acknowledgment that the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects all life.

Ahead of the release of the GOP’s plank, Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life Action, expressed concern about any weakening of its existing commitments.

“Anyone who wishes to lead with integrity must possess a strong commitment to protect the most vulnerable, and this includes the unborn and their mothers,” Mancini told the Register. “And the more aggressive the attacks against these innocent Americans, the stronger that commitment needs to be. Now is not the time to abandon our noble cause. America’s mothers and children deserve that we continue to stand with them.”

Majority Is Against Restricting Abortion

Since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision that overturned Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022, voters in seven states — including traditional pro-family values states such as Kansas and Montana — have approved pro-abortion ballot initiatives. 

Voter opinion surveys have also consistently revealed that a clear majority of Americans disapprove of efforts to restrict abortion. 

A recent Gallup poll, for instance, found that 63% of Americans oppose restricting access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which is significant because medication abortions now account for nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S.

These perceived electoral realities have caused several prominent Republican politicians, particularly those facing reelection this fall, to soften their position on protecting life in the womb. 

In response to criticism from the pro-life community of his announcement to oppose a federal abortion ban, Trump took to Truth Social in April and wrote: “Marjorie Dannenfelser should study the 10th Amendment and States’ Rights. When they do, they should proudly get on with helping Republicans to WIN ELECTIONS, rather than making it impossible for them to do so!”

In his visit to Capitol Hill in mid-June during which he addressed congressional Republicans, Trump stressed the need to “speak correctly” about abortion, meaning that state’s rights and support for exceptions should be stressed.

Prominent voices in the pro-life movement expressed disapproval and alarm at the development.

A letter signed by 10 prominent pro-life leaders in late June, including Dannenfelser, Ralph Reed of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, urged Trump to “make clear that you do not intend to weaken the pro-life plank” and to support a “human life amendment to the Constitution.” 

In response to the public disagreement, two pro-life delegates from South Carolina were replaced on the platform committee by individuals more closely aligned with Trump’s abortion position. A Trump campaign official contested the idea that either was on the platform committee to begin with.

A Threat to Party Unity?

The discord came to a head July 2, when Dannenfelser issued a statement that threatened consequences should the pro-life plank be weakened.

“If the Trump campaign decides to remove national protections for the unborn in the GOP platform, it would be a miscalculation that would hurt party unity and destroy pro-life enthusiasm between now and the election,” she wrote. “For decades, passionate pro-life activists have been the grassroots backbone of the Republican Party. They believed the Republican Party had an ironclad commitment to protect the unborn. This alliance is at risk of being severely weakened next week in Milwaukee.”

But, as she indicated in her supportive statement following the release of the new pro-life plank, Dannenfelser judged that it was considerably better than she had previously feared.

In contrast with Dannenfelser and most other pro-life leaders following the release, Lila Rose, founder and president of the pro-life group Live Action, was unsparing in her dismay over the newly adopted language. 

“The new GOP platform on life is a significant downgrade from what it has been for four decades,” she posted on X, formerly Twitter. “This is deeply disappointing and harmful to preborn American children. Our constitution guarantees every person the right to equal protection; states do not get to decide which innocent people can be unjustly destroyed.”

Effective Communication

Regardless of the revisions to the GOP platform, pro-life leaders acknowledge their tenuous political position and the work that remains to be done to win the hearts and minds of the public in the months and years ahead. 

Kelsey Pritchard, director of state public affairs for SBA, stressed the need for more creative and effective communication of the experiences of women. 

“Though the left is often better at storytelling, we are the side of stories,” she told the Register. “Women’s stories of abortion coercion, poisoning, and regret; overcoming pressure from partners and doctors; choosing adoption; and babies who are alive today because of pro-life laws must be told. 

“As the abortion industry tries to erase these women and the legacy media denies their existence, Republicans must elevate women’s stories to change hearts and minds on the issue of abortion. Facts and data will always be important, but stories have the biggest impact.”