前副总统迈克·彭斯加入了保守派阵营，谴责更新共和党全国委员会平台前总统唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)因其在堕胎问题上纳入了软化的语言而批准了这一计划，这是与以往周期的显著变化。
2024年平台委员会周一以84比14的投票结果通过了一个平台，该平台称共和党人“将反对晚期堕胎，同时支持母亲和促进产前护理、节育和体外受精(生育治疗)的政策”，同时申明支持第14修正案的含义，即堕胎问题应在州一级决定——这些立场反映了特朗普的观点。
然而，这种语言意味着，这是几十年来RNC第一次没有在纲领中明确支持全国禁止堕胎——在2024年纲领起草之前，一些反堕胎倡导者和更具社会保守性的RNC成员一直在游说反对这一转变。
在2024年共和党总统初选中与特朗普竞选的彭斯在他的非营利政治倡导组织推进美国自由(Advancing American Freedom)分发的一份声明中称，这种新语言“让数百万反对堕胎的共和党人深感失望，他们一直指望共和党代表生命”。
虽然RNC委员会通过了这一纲领，但整个RNC需要投票批准这一语言。投票将于7月15日星期一在大会会场进行。
彭斯在声明中似乎敦促成员在即将举行的会议上投票反对特朗普支持的平台。
“现在不是在争取生命权的斗争中放弃任何权利的时候。2024年平台删除了长期以来作为平台基础的历史性反堕胎原则。我敦促参加下周共和党大会的代表们恢复我们党的政纲，承认人类生命的神圣性，并申明未出生的孩子有不容侵犯的基本生命权，”彭斯说。
彭斯反对这一平台，因为家庭研究委员会主席托尼·帕金斯(Tony Perkins)是2024年共和党平台委员会的成员，他一直反对共和党平台软化其在堕胎问题上的语言，在2024年文件通过后，他于周一向RNC提交了一份少数报告。
少数派报告也呼吁2024平台恢复其“对人类生命修正案的承诺”。
“自那以后，我们在每一个纲领中都重申了对人类生命修正案的承诺，并呼吁第十四修正案对出生前儿童的保护，现在，我们通过这一原则宣言，扩大这一承诺。根据《少数派报告》，在任何时候，在任何由政治时刻的紧急情况所激发的理由下，我们都不能或应该放弃在上帝的恩典下创造和维持这个政党进入第三个世纪的崇高原则。
“怀着沉重的心情，但充满乐观地认为保卫生命的斗争必将胜利，我们向我们的美国同胞重新提出这些理想，”信的结尾写道。
RNC主席迈克尔·沃特利在周一晚上与记者的简短交谈中为该委员会新签署的平台辩护，特别是在堕胎语言上加倍努力。
“我们有一个非常坚实的反堕胎平台。我们对此感到非常、非常坚定。我认为你可以看看来自全国各地的反堕胎团体的数量，他们表示强烈支持这一平台，”沃特利说，他消除了一些共和党人关于该平台在这个问题上过于软弱的任何想法。
“共和党代表生命。我们将永远支持生活。我认为，当你看到这个平台时，你会发现它非常亲美。很亲家庭。这是非常反堕胎的。我们对我们拥有的语言非常有信心。”
Whatley告诉ABC新闻，他预计下周全体成员就该语言进行投票时，很少有人反对并支持该平台。
“这是特朗普总统想要竞选的体现。这就是路径。这是将帮助我们的平台，”沃特利说。“它提供了一个路线图，以确保我们将让政府转向，让美国转向，并恢复我们的领导地位。”
Pence, anti-abortion Republicans denounce Trump-backed RNC platform
Former Vice President Mike Pence has joined a faction of conservatives decrying the updated Republican National Committee platform rubber-stamped by former President Donald Trump for its inclusion of softened language on abortion, a marked change from past cycles.
The 2024 platform committee voted 84-14 on Monday to adopt a platform that says Republicans "will oppose Late Term Abortion, while supporting mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments)" while affirming support for the 14th Amendment's implication that the issue of abortion should be determined at the state level -- positions reflective of Trump's views.
The language, however, means that it is the first time in decades that the RNC has not explicitly endorsed a national ban on abortion in the platform -- a shift that a number of anti-abortion advocates and more socially conservative RNC members had been lobbying against ahead of the 2024 platform's drafting.
Pence, who ran against Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, called the new language "a profound disappointment to the millions of pro-life Republicans that have always looked to the Republican Party to stand for life," in a statement circulated by his nonprofit political advocacy group Advancing American Freedom.
While the RNC committee adopted the platform, the full RNC needs to vote to approve the language. That vote is on the convention floor on Monday, July 15.
In his statement, Pence seemed to urge members to vote against the Trump-backed platform at that upcoming session.
"Now is not the time to surrender any ground in the fight for the right to life. The 2024 platform removed historic pro-life principles that have long been the foundation of the platform. I urge delegates attending next week's Republican Convention to restore language to our party's platform recognizing the sanctity of human life and affirming that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed," Pence said.
Pence's objection to the platform comes as Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, a member of the 2024 GOP platform committee who has been vocal in his opposition to having the Republican platform soften its language on abortion, submitted a minority report to the RNC on Monday following the adoption of the 2024 document.
The minority report, too, calls for the 2024 platform to restore its "commitment to a human life amendment."
"That commitment to a human life amendment and a call for the Fourteenth Amendment's protection application to children before birth has been repeated in every platform since and, by this declaration of principle, we extend it now. In no season, under no rationale spurred by the exigencies of a political moment, can or should we abandon the high principles that have created and sustained this party, with God's grace, into a third century," according to the minority report.
"With heaviness of heart but fullness of optimism that the defense of life will inevitably prevail, we resubmit these ideals to our fellow Americans," the letter concludes.
RNC Chairman Michael Whatley defended the committee's newly inked platform during a short gaggle with reporters Monday evening -- doubling down specifically on the abortion language.
"We have a very solid pro-life platform. We feel very, very solid about it. I think you can just look at the number of pro-life groups from across the country that have come in and said that they strongly support this platform," said Whatley, who dispelled any notions from some Republicans that the platform was too soft on the issue.
"The Republican Party stands for life. And we are always going to stand for life. I think when you look at this platform, you're going to see that it is very pro-America. It is very pro-family. It is very pro-life. And we feel very strong about the language that we have."
Whatley told ABC News he anticipates little objection and a backing of the platform when full membership votes on the language next week.
"This is the embodiment of what President Trump wants to run on. And this is the path. This is the platform that is going to help us," Whatley said. "It provides a roadmap to make sure that we're going to get the government turned around, get America turned around and restore our leadership."
