The Republican Majority for Choice (RMC) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

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 Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre- implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist ...

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 l ...

/ Wall St Journal'' poll found that 52% of Republicans supported the '' Roe v Wade'' 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 The Republican Main Street Partnership is a 501(c)(4) organization that was allied with the congressional Republican Main Street Caucus. The Partnership continues to exist, while the Caucus was dissolved by its members in February 2019. Hist ...

, Christine Todd Whitman'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 Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) is an organization within the Republican Party which advocates for equal rights for LGBT+ Americans. History Log Cabin Republicans was founded in 1977 in California as a rallying point for Republicans opposed t ...

, 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'' 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 Susan Margaret Collins (born December 7, 1952) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Maine. A member of the Republican Party, she has held her seat since 1997 and is Maine's longest-serving member of Con ...

, Maine *

Shelley Moore Capito Shelley Wellons Moore Capito ( ; born November 26, 1953) is an American politician and retired educator serving as the junior United States senator from West Virginia since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Capito served as the U.S. rep ...

, West Virginia * Lisa Murkowski, 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 outcom ...

, 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 Rodney Procter Frelinghuysen (born April 29, 1946) is an American former politician and lobbyist who served as the U.S. representative for from 1995 to 2019. The district includes most of Morris County, an affluent suburban county west of New ...

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 respon ...

" or anti-abortion)

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 ...