Evangelical Leader Aims for Empowering Conference to Support Anti-Abortion 2024 Candidates

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In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, influential evangelical Christian leaders within the Republican Party are gathering to commemorate this groundbreaking ruling that has had far-reaching implications in American politics, effectively dismantling a constitutional protection that had stood for nearly five decades.

At the annual conference organized by the Faith & Freedom Coalition in Washington, GOP presidential candidates will receive an enthusiastic call to action to continue their efforts in advocating for more stringent abortion regulations, even as Democrats maintain that this issue will work in their favor leading up to the 2024 election.

Former President Donald Trump, whose three Supreme Court nominees played a pivotal role in the reversal of nationwide abortion rights, will deliver the keynote address on Saturday night, coinciding with the anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. Other prominent Republican figures, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, are scheduled to speak on Friday.

Ralph Reed, the founder and chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, acknowledged that the conference’s timing aligning with the Dobbs anniversary was an unplanned coincidence. However, he emphasized the organization’s commitment to providing a significant boost of motivation and resolve to pro-life candidates, stating, “We will spare no effort as an organization and as a movement that supports the sanctity of life and traditional family values to ensure our candidates are not on the defensive. Those who are hesitant should, frankly, show more courage.”

Such a political pep talk becomes necessary as Democrats believe that safeguarding abortion rights will invigorate their base and contribute to their success in retaining control of the Senate, flipping the House, and reelecting President Joe Biden. Despite historical patterns that were not in their favor, Democrats surpassed expectations in the previous midterm elections and continue to cite abortion as a key factor for their achievements.

Even Trump has acknowledged that strict abortion restrictions posed a weakness for Republicans. In a January post on his social media platform, he attributed the party’s lackluster midterm performance to the mishandling of the “abortion issue” by many Republicans, particularly those who staunchly opposed any exceptions, even in cases of rape, incest, or life-threatening situations.

Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee, stated, “Every single Republican presidential candidate for 2024 holds an extreme anti-choice stance.” In response, the DNC launched a substantial advertising campaign, including billboards across the country from Tallahassee, Florida, to Phoenix, Arizona, highlighting GOP support for a nationwide ban on abortion.

The Supreme Court’s ruling has paved the way for near-total bans on abortion in several Republican-led states, although voters in other states rejected constitutional referendums that aimed to eliminate almost all abortion rights protections. Democrats have vowed to enshrine the right to abortion in federal law, but they currently lack the congressional votes necessary to do so.

Gary Peters, the head of the Democrats’ Senate campaign arm, pointed out that top Republican presidential candidates will endorse a nationwide abortion ban to gain support during the GOP primaries, only to adopt a more moderate stance for the general election.

“They will attempt to energize their base with this issue and then disavow their position,” Peters said. “They won’t get away with it.”

A Big Big News-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted last July indicated that a majority of Americans believe Congress should pass legislation guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide. However, the same poll revealed that many Americans support certain restrictions on abortion, especially after the first trimester of pregnancy.

Among the GOP candidates, DeSantis and Pence advocate for bans after six weeks of pregnancy, while Scott supports a 15-week ban. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is scheduled to speak at the conference on Saturday, has expressed support for a federal ban but has not specified at what point in pregnancy she would seek to prohibit abortions.

Trump, on the other hand, has refrained from explicitly stating what national limitations, if any, he would endorse regarding abortion.

One prominent anti-abortion organization, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, has declared that it will only support White House candidates who, at the very least, endorse passing a nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Conference attendees will encourage presidential candidates to “shift the focus and language” surrounding abortion, according to Ralph Reed. He emphasized the importance of “shaping the narrative around the unborn child” rather than relying on discussions about gestational stages, whether measured in weeks, months, or trimesters, which he believes plays into the left’s strategy.

Pence, an evangelical Christian, will be speaking at the Faith & Freedom Coalition event for the first time since 2021 when he faced booing and accusations of being a “traitor.” That event, held in Florida, took place shortly after the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, during which Pence defied Trump’s unprecedented demands to overturn the results of the 2020 election, securing Joe Biden’s victory.

The former vice president is also expected to speak on Saturday at the National Celebrate Life Rally, which will be held at the Lincoln Memorial.

Despite initial reservations among evangelicals about supporting Trump in 2016, Ralph Reed noted that the former president’s administration demonstrated a strong stance on abortion, which resonated with the evangelical community. Additionally, Trump earned praise from evangelicals for relocating the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018—a move that carried deep religious significance and received support from the evangelical movement.

Reed believes that evangelicals’ expectations for pro-Israel and anti-abortion candidates in the presidential primaries will continue to rise, stating, “I believe the standards have been raised, and they will continue to rise,” highlighting the pivotal role evangelicals play in determining the Republican presidential nominee.

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• Faith & Freedom Coalition
• Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
• Roe v. Wade
• Republican Party
• Democratic National Committee
• Supreme Court
• Joe Biden
• Donald Trump
• Ron DeSantis
• Mike Pence
• Tim Scott
• Chris Christie
• 2024 election
• Abortion rights
• Evangelical voters