Another change to the Republican Party’s platform relates to the issue of marriage. The 2016 platform opposed the 2015 Supreme Court decision giving same-sex couples the right to marry.
The new platform, which at 16 pages is much shorter than the 66-page 2016 document, removes that language and simply says, “Republicans will promote a Culture that values the Sanctity of Marriage, the blessings of childhood, the foundational role of families, and supports working parents. We will end policies that punish families.”
The new platform does address gender at several points, opposing “radical gender ideology.” One section says, “We will keep men out of women’s sports, ban Taxpayer funding for sex change surgeries, and stop Taxpayer-funded Schools from promoting gender transition, reverse Biden’s radical rewrite of Title IX Education Regulations, and restore protections for women and girls.”
The new platform, which was approved by a vote of 84-18, has generated controversy for how it was adopted. NBC News and The New York Times report that the Trump campaign pushed to keep people seen as too pro-life off of the platform committee.
Some pro-lifers had been hoping that Trump, who appointed Supreme Court justices instrumental in overturning Roe v. Wade, would support a federal ban on abortion, but the former president has said he will leave the decision to the states.
A clip circulating on social media shows RNC platform committee member Gayle Ruzicka speaking to a reporter about her experience Monday compared to past RNC proceedings. “This never happened before,” she said.
“I’ve done this several times,” said Ruzicka. She said that in the past, committee members were given time to study the platform and then propose and debate amendments to it.
“They didn’t allow any amendments,” she said. “They didn’t allow any discussion. They rolled us.”
“I don’t understand why they did it,” said Ruzicka, “and I’m extremely disappointed that we do not have any pro-life language.” While there are “good things” in the platform, she did not vote for it because “this is the first time we don’t have a pro-life platform.”
“I’ve never been treated so badly to have them force this vote on us before we even had a chance to read the platform,” Ruzicka said.
“They rolled us. That’s what they did.”
Gail Ruzicka, RNC platform committee member from Utah, just after today’s vote in Milwaukee: “I’ve never seen this happen before. I don’t understand why they did it, and I’m extremely disappointed that we do not have any pro-life language” pic.twitter.com/5DIWoialyP
— Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) July 8, 2024
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 adopted Monday, July 8, has drawn sharp criticism from Christian leaders for softening the party’s stance against abortion.){kind=link}