Republican Platform Drops Call for National Abortion Limits

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Facts

• The Republican Party's platform committee Monday voted 84-18 to approve a party platform that lacks a call for a federal abortion ban, reflecting a position that the former Pres. Donald Trump has expressed on the campaign trail.¹
• The presumptive GOP presidential nominee told officials he supports the platform, which calls for states to determine their abortion laws, in addition to reiterating many policies — including ones on immigration and trade — that are spelled out on the Trump campaign's website.¹
• The platform expresses opposition to what it calls 'Late Term Abortions' and support for 'mothers and policies that advance' prenatal care, birth control access, and fertility treatments.²
• The document still contains language, first included in 1984, guaranteeing people's 14th Amendment rights to not be denied 'life or liberty without due process' but without previously included references to national limits on abortion.³
• Full Republican National Committee (RNC) membership will vote to confirm the platform in Milwaukee next week during the Republican National Convention.⁴

Sources: ¹New York Times, ²USA Today, ³Forbes and ⁴ABC News.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. This platform was formulated to provide a concise list of Republican values and future goals — presenting the party as united as opposed to the chaos of the Democrats. The wording of the abortion section is in line with what the triumphant overturning of Roe v. Wade established — that abortion restrictions are left to the state as long as they don't violate citizens' 14th Amendment rights. This paves the path for a Republican win in November.
• Conservative narrative, as provided by PJ Media. If the Republican Party's undying devotion to Trump means this is the party's new stance on abortion, the pro-life wing of the party must rethink its support. Leaving abortion restrictions to the states means that for every place where killing the unborn is forbidden, there's a state where the procedure is available. This is unacceptable and could cost Republicans their necessary victory over the abortion-promoting Democrats.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Washington Post. This platform was created by Trump's people, under the guise of full-blow support from the Republican Party, to tamp down potential criticism over the party's well-documented, unpopular positions on the abortion issue. Regardless of what the platform does or doesn't say, there are no guardrails preventing the extreme pro-life elements of the party from influencing Trump and eventually passing a national abortion ban. Don't be fooled.

Predictions