In the wake of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council observed that the party came to a conservative consensus on a wide range of issues.
The GOP’s platform committee — chaired by U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) and co-chaired by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-VA) and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Falin — saw lively discussions on agriculture, economics, health care, immigration, national security and other topics impacting the nation’s moral and cultural atmosphere.
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“I am very happy to say that the final platform document overwhelmingly approved by the delegates may be the strongest statement of conservative principles by a GOP platform to date,” Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said.
Longtime Utah delegate Gayle Rozika said it was the most conservative platform she has ever seen, having attended six conventions.
The high points include clarifications on pro-life tenets; protections for health care providers and parents overseeing medical care for their children, including decisions on minors’ mental health; measures against abortion funding and same-sex marriage; and protection for individuals supporting the traditional institution of marriage.
Religious freedom was a central issue of the platform, with a declaration of the importance of religious freedom present in Americans’ everyday lives, not sequestered behind walls of houses of worship.
Finally, increased protections for chaplains and military personnel, under the First Amendment, rounded out the solid consensus achieved by convention delegates.
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