At RNC convention, Republicans differ on how much to focus on abortion

MILWAUKEE — Dozens of speakers this week have taken to the sleek Republican National Convention stage to present a united front on opposing leftism at home and promoting conservative populism.

But many have avoided talking about a longtime party priority: ending abortion.

After Republicans approved a new party platform Monday that abandoned the party’s long-standing explicit support for a national abortion ban, a small number of speakers have mentioned abortion. Off the convention stage, the most ardent antiabortion activists have condemned the change, but many delegates here have said they understand the adjustment after voters have rejected abortion restrictions. Former president Donald Trump, who accepted the party’s presidential nomination, has said abortion restrictions should be left up to the states. Some supporters are now repeating that message, the latest example of Trump moving the party faithful toward his personal ideology.

Wisconsin delegate Dixon Wolfe, 23, studied at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and described himself as “very pro-life.” But he said he understands “the culture is not on board” with the antiabortion movement.

“So Republicans need to be practical and pragmatic about the abortion issue, in my opinion,” Wolfe said. “They need to definitely leave it up to the states like Trump has said.”

At campaign speeches, in social media posts and on mailers, Trump has touted his role in “ending Roe,” after three Supreme Court justices he nominated helped overturn the law that for nearly 50 years had protected the right to abortion. His newly named running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), had previously endorsed national restrictions on abortion. But during his acceptance speech Wednesday night, Vance didn’t mention abortion.

Some delegates were disappointed and said they wanted to see the party push for a national ban. The party platform has long advocated for a 20-week abortion ban but dropped that from this week’s document. The new platform still includes language that links abortion to the 14th Amendment, leaving open a path to legislation or court decisions that would grant fetuses additional legal rights. But some antiabortion advocates are upset that the platform no longer says that “the unborn child has a fundamental right to life” and no longer explicitly says the 14th Amendment should be clarified to protect embryos and fetuses.

David Lightner, a Missouri delegate and an RNC committeeman, said he was “a little disturbed” by the change.

“I know everybody on the ground is not happy,” he said. “We’re pro-lifers in Missouri. That’s what we’re all about.”

Missouri delegate Zina Hackworth looked around the cavernous Fiserv Forum on Monday during the platform vote, expecting someone to step up and object, but she was frustrated when no one did, and it overwhelmingly passed. Since then, Hackworth said she has heard some speakers mention abortion in passing, but it has mattered little to her.

“If our platform doesn’t say it, it’s a moot point to me,” she said. “Don’t tell me that you’re protecting life if you’re not telling the whole story.”

In one of the few mentions of abortion policy, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who chaired the platform committee, declared ahead of the Monday vote that the platform is “protecting life for the born and unborn.”

Utah delegate Gayle Ruzicka, who was on the committee but complained that antiabortion activists had little say in the plank, shook her head at Blackburn’s mention of the unborn.

“She made that up,” she whispered to a delegate next to her.

Diane Hendricks, a Trump donor who spoke Thursday night, seemed to allude to the abortion debate in passing — saying that she got pregnant at 17 and gives “thanks every day for my son.”

“I truly believe that every life is a sacred gift from God,” she said. But she did not connect her personal experience to any discussion of abortion policy.

North Carolina Evangelical Rev. Franklin Graham also briefly mentioned the issue in a call-and-response portion of his speech in which he listed the actions Trump took to appeal to Christian demands.

“When he told me and our country in 2016 that he was going to appoint conservative justices in 2016, guess what he did?” Graham asked.

“He did,” the audience responded.

To Julie Emmons, a delegate from Graham’s state, that mention was about the Dobbs decision.

“I can’t think of a more important topic to talk about than protecting life,” she said, acknowledging that she didn’t want to criticize the speakers who had left out the topic.

Blocks from the convention, Jessica Newell, a 21-year-old Live Action activist, inflated red heart-shaped balloons ahead of the platform vote and expressed frustration when she heard it was about to pass. She warned that Republicans may lose a solid base of support. The majority of Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party, 57 percent, believe abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, according to a Pew Research Center poll. Meanwhile, 85% of Democrats and Democratic leaners said it should be legal.

“A lot of people I’ve talked to talk about being politically homeless,” she said. “Our options are voting Democrat or voting Democrat.”

But Trump allies, including some who feel strongly about abortion, are skeptical that Trump’s effort to thread the needle on that issue would cost him with socially conservative voters, given their staunch support for him and his agenda overall.

Abortion came up with greater frequency during a Thursday morning breakfast hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a Christian group closely allied with Trump. Hackworth attended, donning gold lapel pins shaped like hands and feet that have developed in the womb at 10 weeks and listened as Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley declared that he was proud to be “the most pro-life chair in the history of the Republican Party.”

“How can anyone say we’re the party of life?” Hackworth asked rhetorically. “I’m just tuning that out now.”