This afternoon, the Republican Party officially ratified the most pro-life platform ever.
Today at the Republican National Convention, delegates officially adopted a platform which includes ending taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, banning the use of aborted babies’ body parts in research, nominating pro-life Supreme Court justices, and banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The platform also calls for Congress to strengthen the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act by enacting civil and criminal penalties for abortionists who refuse to give medical care to babies born alive after an abortion.
There was some concern from pro-life advocates about Donald Trump weakening the pro-life platform, after Trump said he wanted to widen it to allow for abortion in the case of rape or incest. But instead, the GOP reaffirmed their commitment to the pro-life cause, saying that the party is “[f]aithful to the “self-evident” truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence,” and asserts “the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed”.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, responded to the platform with approval in an e-mail to Live Action News, saying,
The Republican platform has always been strong when it comes to protecting unborn children, their mothers, and the conscience rights of pro-life Americans. The platform ratified today takes that stand from good to great. Firstly, it is reflective of Donald Trump’s pro-life policy commitments to appoint pro-life Justices, to advocate for and sign into law the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and to defund America’s largest abortion business Planned Parenthood.
The platform committee went on offense to call out Democrat extremism on abortion, adding language calling for both federal and state laws stopping late-term abortions after five months, abortions based on disability, and abortions for the purpose of sex-selection.
March for Life Action Vice President Tom McClusky likewise applauded the delegates for putting in place such a strong pro-life platform:
The delegates deserve a lot of credit for creating this document which, in great detail, explains what the pro-life movement is for and just how radical the pro-abortion position is. For the first time ever the Republican Platform calls out abortion giant Planned Parenthood by name and says tax dollars should not go to subsidize the death industry.
The Republican Party has typically championed for the right to life, with official party platforms in years past affirming the sanctity of life and the rights of the preborn. While there have been doubts surrounding Trump’s commitment to the pro-life cause, this platform shows that party leaders have successfully been able to keep defending life as a cornerstone of the party’s beliefs.
