The Republican Majority for Choice (RMC) was a Republican organization in the United States dedicated to preserving legal access to abortion. The group also supported federal funding for all kinds of stem cell research, including embryonic stem cell research. RMC had a political action committee and supported Republicans across the country who favored abortion rights. The group closed operations in 2018. The name was chosen to emphasize information based on polling that consistently shows that a majority of Republicans support legal access to abortion in at least some circumstances. In 2009, Gallup reported that 66% of Republicans agreed that abortion should be legal in some (54%) or all (12%) circumstances. A Gallup poll in 2011 found that 27% of Republicans identified themselves as "pro-choice". However, 42% of Republicans support legal abortion during the first trimester. In 2017, Gallup released polling information showing that 36% of Republicans identified as "pro-choice" and 70% agreed that abortion should be legal in some (56%) or all (14%) circumstances. In 2018, an ''

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...

/ Wall St Journal'' poll found that 52% of Republicans supported the ''

Roe v Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and st ...

'' Supreme Court ruling and did not want said ruling to be overturned.

History

The Republican Majority for Choice began its life as the Republican Coalition for Choice, founded in 1989 by Mary Dent Crisp, former Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee and former National Committeewoman from Arizona. It was renamed from the Republican Pro-Choice Coalition in 2004 after an American Viewpoint Poll commissioned by Republicans for Choice found that 69% of Republicans strongly agreed with the following statement: "The decision to have an abortion should be between a woman, her doctor and her family. Government should not be involved in making such a personal decision." The Republican Majority for Choice was allied with other Moderate to Liberal Republican Groups such as The Republican Main Street Partnership,

Christine Todd Whitman Christine Temple Whitman (née Todd; born September 26, 1946) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001 and as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration o ...

's It's My Party Too, Ann Stone's

Republicans for Choice Republicans for Choice is an American political action committee (PAC) composed of members of the United States Republican Party who support abortion rights. History Republicans for Choice was founded in 1989 by conservative fundraiser and acti ...

, the Log Cabin Republicans, The Wish List,

Republicans for Environmental Protection ConservAmerica, formerly known as Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP), is a national nonprofit organization formed in 1995. REP's stated purpose is to strengthen the Republican Party's stance on environmental issues and support effor ...

, and the

Kansas Traditional Republican Majority The Kansas Traditional Republican Majority (KTRM) is a political action committee founded in 2005 that supports more state government programs (especially education) and moderate social policies. It is connected to the Republican Main Street Partne ...

. In 2018, the RMC announced that it was closing operations and its leadership announced they were leaving the GOP citing the party's anti-abortion platform.

Supported candidates

The following candidates were supported by the Republican Majority for Choice in one or more of their elections. Their status has been updated to reflect their current positions as of the 2010 U.S. elections. As of July 2018, three Republican Senators had identified themselves as "pro-choice", or pro-abortion rights, Shelley Moore Capito, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski. "Collins, Murkowski, and Capito have voted for both pro- and anti-abortion legislation, but all three back the 1973 ''

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion. The decision struck down many federal and st ...

'' decision legalizing abortion". Capito, Collins, and Murkowski were also three Republicans who opposed an initial bill to repeal the ACA that included a provision for defunding Planned Parenthood.

U.S. Senate

* Susan Collins, Maine * Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia *

Lisa Murkowski Lisa Ann Murkowski ( ; born May 22, 1957) is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator for Alaska, having held that seat since 2002. Murkowski is the second-most senior Republican woman in the Senate, after S ...

, Alaska * Scott Brown, Massachusetts (retired) * Lincoln Chaffee, Rhode Island (retired, switched to Democratic Party, then Libertarian Party) *

Olympia Snowe Olympia Jean Snowe (; born February 21, 1947) is an American businesswoman and politician who was a United States Senator from Maine from 1995 to 2013. Snowe, a member of the Republican Party, became known for her ability to influence the outco ...

, Maine (retired) *

Arlen Specter Arlen Specter (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was an American lawyer, author and politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1981 to 2011. Specter was a Democrat from 1951 to 1965, then a Republican fr ...

, Pennsylvania (retired, switched to Democratic Party)

U.S. House of Representatives

* Lynn Jenkins, Kansas (KS-2) (retired) * Rodney Frelinghuysen New Jersey (NJ-11) (retired) *

Charlie Dent Charles Wieder Dent (born May 24, 1960) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for from 2005 to 2018. Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Dent worked in a variety of occupations ...

, Pennsylvania (PA-15) (retired)

Governors

* Mitt Romney, Massachusetts (Now a US Senator from Utah, currently identifies as "

pro-life Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

" or

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

)

References

{{Republican Party (United States)

Choice A choice is the range of different things from which a being can choose. The arrival at a choice may incorporate motivators and models. For example, a traveler might choose a route for a journey based on the preference of arriving at a give ...