The Republican Party platform officially advocates an anti-abortion position , which developed alongside the modern pro-life movement . Before '' Roe v. Wade '' , the majority of Republicans were not anti-abortion , including most of the party ’s leadership , which typically cited abortion rights as included within an ideology of limited government and personal freedom . At the 1976 Republican National Convention , the party adopted an anti-abortion amendment as part of their platform , for primarily strategic reasons . The party ’s leadership hoped to appeal to Catholics , a demographic which had traditionally voted Democratic , but who might be put off by growing cultural liberalism and who made up the core of the anti-abortion movement . Over time , the anti-abortion plank of the Republican platform became one rallying point for a growing conservative religious coalition in the party , which drove out many pro-choice Republicans and led to a long-term shift in the party ’s public image and identity
1976 Republican National Convention
1976 Republican National Convention
United States anti-abortion movement