OP Platform To Call For Constitutional Ban On Abortion

Category: Breaking News Published on Tuesday, 21 August 2012 09:39 Written by Huffington Post

Draft language for the 2012 Republican Party platform includes support for a constitutional ban on abortion without specifying exclusions in the cases of rape or incest, according to CNN.

The news comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) suggestion that victims of "legitimate rape" rarely get pregnant. The GOP Senate candidate running against Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) has faced calls to abandon his campaign from both parties despite attempting to walk back his remarks.

Details on the party's position also come with the Republican National Convention just one week away.

"Faithful to the 'self-evident' truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed," the GOP platform states, according to CNN. "We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children."

After Akin's comments landed in the headlines on Sunday, Mitt Romney's campaign moved swiftly to distance itself from the congressman's remarks. HuffPost's Laura Bassett and Sam Stein reported at the time:

"Governor Romney and Congressman Ryan disagree with Mr. Akin’s statement, and a Romney-Ryan administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape," Andrea Saul, a Romney spokesperson, told The Huffington Post.
While Saul's statement is consistent with Romney's position on abortion, it's a clear departure from Ryan's position, which is that abortion should only be legal in cases where the life of the mother is at risk. Ryan sponsored a fetal personhood bill, which would effectively criminalize abortion and some forms of birth control without exceptions for rape victims.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/gop-platform-abortion_n_1815021.html