care-net.org
2024-04-19
The Democrats' policy position has remained largely unchanged: abortion on demand at any time during the pregnancy, for any reason, no exceptions. In fact, supporting abortion is now a litmus test for the party. However, the Republican national policy position has changed dramatically. Indeed, the implications of this change should transform the national dialogue around the issue of abortion. Whether it will remains to be seen.
In 2012, when Mitt Romney was the Republican nominee for President, he and the Republican party opposed all abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother. This exceptions-based position would make nearly 98% of abortions illegal. Furthermore, even the exceptions were evaluated through a moral lens that aimed to balance compassion for the vulnerable woman impacted during conception or childbirth with the vulnerable baby affected by the abortion procedure.
Today, the national Republican policy position is in disarray. Presidential candidate Donald Trump recently announced that, essentially, the Republican party does not have a national position on abortion, but that the issue should be left to "the will of the people" at the state level. Other major Republican figures have publicly supported anything from a 6-week ban to a 15-week ban, which would include the 2012 exceptions. The most recent CDC abortion statistics indicate that a 15-week ban, plus the exceptions, would allow nearly 98% of abortions.