New GOP Platform Waters Down Support for Life, Marriage

The latest draft of the new Republican Party platform at the national level significantly scales back the GOP’s historic opposition to abortion and homosexual so-called “marriage,” angering pro-life and pro-family forces across the nation as the party appears to be throwing social conservatism under the bus. Several high-profile conservatives are speaking out.

The new platform also softens the GOP’s stance on fiscal conservatism. Instead of a clear call to reduce the national debt that was long a key part of the document, the new version merely calls for “slashing wasteful government spending.” It also enshrines support for many of the most expensive programs that have produced estimated unfunded liabilities for U.S. taxpayers approaching $200 trillion.

In an interview last week with the Liberty Sentinel, GOP Platform Committee Deputy Policy Chief Ed Martin explained that one major goal of the new platform would be to push back on globalism. And the draft so far does include strong calls for stopping mass migration and protecting national sovereignty.

But the far-left New York Times, which some religious conservatives said had better coverage of the issue than most right-of-center outlets, painted the new platform as a win for liberals. In an article headlined, “Following Trump’s Lead, Republicans Adopt Platform That Softens Stance on Abortion,” the paper cites pressure from Trump and hopes of winning the election as the key reasons for the changes.

“There is no longer a reference to ‘traditional marriage’ as between ‘one man and one woman’,” explained the Times. “In the 2016 and 2020 platform, that section included extensive specific details about what the Republican Party would do to limit abortions, including supporting a federal ban on abortion after 20 weeks. It stated that ‘the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed.’”

The new platform, dubbed “America First: A Return to Common Sense,” does still include some language supporting life that some activists are clinging to. “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,” the draft platform reads.

Critics spoke out. “The 2024 platform is a decent statement of campaign priorities, but not necessarily the enduring principles of a party,” said Family Research Council chief Tony Perkins, a member of the platform committee. “Unfortunately, the process was unbecoming of constitutional conservatives which did not allow the document to be amended or improve.”

Grassroots Republicans seeking to preserve support for the right to life and the traditional family have encouraged activists to contact their party officials and make their views known as quickly as possible.

Watch RNC Deputy Policy Director Ed Martin on The Sentinel Report discussing the RNC Platform Committee’s work: