NEW YORK, August 25, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In anticipation of its national convention Monday, debate has begun on the GOP platform, including a draft proposal for a constitutional amendment to ban abortion. The move indicates a decided shift to the right from its two-paragraphs in the 2000 platform to the present five paragraphs, under the heading “Upholding the Rights of All.”
The Republican plank asserts that “the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed,” according to an ABC News report. The platform draft also reiterates the party’s uncompromising stance on same-sex “marriage,” continuing to maintain the call for a constitutional amendment for a ban. “We strongly support President Bush’s call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage,” the draft states. Liberal factions have all but given up on efforts to include so-called “moderate” language in the draft. Representative Michael N. Castle of Delaware, president of a pro-abortion group within the party, said their group has deserted efforts to change the draft to allow abortion.
Read related coverage: https://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20040825_682.html https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/25/politics/campaign/25platform.html tv