A conservative group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence is cautioning delegates to the Republican National Convention not to purge anti-abortion positions from the party's platform.
Paul Teller, executive director for Advancing American Freedom (AAF), launched by Pence in 2021 after he left office, sent a letter Monday to the delegates, co-signed by leaders of several anti-abortion groups, The Daily Caller reported.
The letter noted that in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in June 2022 to end federal protections for abortion, "rumors continue to swirl that some in the party want to wash their hands of the fight for life and surrender conservative principles in the name of political expediency and, even worse, lock pro-life Republicans out of their platform meetings."
"The current Republican platform is bold and unambiguous on life," the letter stated. "It calls out abortion as a moral scourge and holds fast to the idea that conservatives must never waver in defense of life.
"But with rumors of secret, closed-door meetings and some in the party wishing to weaken our pro-life positions, we felt the need to directly address this issue."
Democrats seized on the Supreme Court decision in 2022 to rally voters in the midterm elections. Since suffering political setbacks that year, many Republicans have avoided stirring the pot by taking hard stances against abortion.
Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, reportedly said in early June that the abortion issue hurt the GOP in 2022 and the party didn't know how to talk about it.
"The Republican Party platform is more than a messaging document," the AAF letter stated. "It is the roadmap to the future and a commitment to the American voters of what it means to be a Republican.
"Most importantly, it is a promise to unborn Americans to never stop fighting for their right to life. Pro-life conservatives must remain ever vigilant in defense of life.
"As RNC delegates, you are the stewards of the Republican agenda and will ultimately vote whether to accept the 2024 platform. We encourage you to support pro-life planks and vote down any platform that weakens the party's commitment to the cause of life."
Trump said during Thursday's debate with President Joe Biden in Atlanta that the Supreme Court decision on abortion, made with three conservative justices he appointed to the bench, was correct because it returned the issue to the states. He also said the high court's recent decision allowing the abortion drug mifepristone to be mailed to patients was correct and he would not block it as president.
"President Trump has long been consistent in supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion," Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, told the Daily Caller. "Joe Biden and the Democrats are radically out of touch with the majority of Americans in their support for abortion up until birth and even after birth, and forcing taxpayers to fund it."
The letter also was signed by Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America; Lila Rose, president of Live Action; Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life; Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life; Craig DeRoche, president of Family Policy Alliance; and Jeff Bradford, president of Human Coalition Action.
"The Platform Committee has yet to convene to discuss what language should be in the final document," Danielle Alvarez, a Trump campaign senior adviser, told the Daily Caller.