Abolitionists Dominate at 2026 Republican Party of Texas Convention

Abolitionists Dominate at Texas GOP Convention

Republican Party of Texas delegates met through the week of June 8 to amend their Platform, set their legislative priorities, and conduct other business. Abolish Abortion Texas and other abolitionists were present throughout the event, succeeding not only in defending the Platform and legislative priorities from an unprecedented Pro-Life establishment attack, but also ensuring that the Republican Party of Texas has a stronger position than ever on abolishing abortion.

2026 RPT Convention Victories

 

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Pro-Life Subversion Starts Months in Advance

Pro-Life establishment group Texas Alliance for Life published a series of “Pro-Life Resolutions” months ahead of the Convention and actively promoted them at Precincts across the state. Those resolutions would have eviscerated Plank 23, Plank 97, Plank 195, and other sections of the Platform with language about abolishing abortion and equally protecting preborn babies.

Abolish Abortion Texas started warning delegates about this deceptive effort, noting that the “Pro-Life Resolutions” would weaken the Republican Party of Texas stance against abortion.

Texas State Rep. Brent Money, who sponsored an equal protection bill in the 2025 legislative session which Texas Alliance for Life vehemently opposed, was instrumental in sounding the alarm. Money warned delegates that Texas Alliance for Life “has a long history of opposing abortion restrictions,” and that the group “spent more time advocating against a bill that would provide equal protection to preborn babies in Texas” than actually promoting their own policies.

Making the Case to Party Leaders

Abolish Abortion Texas was present throughout the entire Republican Party of Texas Convention, not only to safeguard existing Platform language from the Pro-Life establishment assault, but also to ensure the Platform and legislative priorities became even stronger.

While members of committees responsible for the Platform and legislative priorities met on June 8 to determine the language they would present to delegates, Texas Alliance for Life Executive Director Amy O’Donnell testified in favor of gutting the equal protection and abolition language. O’Donnell specifically opposed Plank 23, contending that the Republican Party of Texas stance in favor of equal protection would set the work of the Pro-Life establishment backward.

Abolish Abortion Texas President Bradley Pierce was able to speak in defense of Plank 23, urging committee members to continue supporting equal protection and to oppose Pro-Life incrementalism, which has failed to abolish abortion in Texas. Pierce also testified on the morning of June 9 in favor of making abolition a legislative priority, noting that abortion remains legal in Texas because of Pro-Life laws with loopholes keeping abortion legal for women.

Several other abolitionists, such as Abolish Abortion Texas Board Member Wesley Thomas, Foundation to Abolish Abortion Legislative Liaison John Rice-Cameron, Kaleb Irving, pastor Trenton Munn, pastor and veteran Nathan Irving, Not a Victim founder Kristine Harhoef, and Phoebe Wesley testified to committee members about abolition and equal protection. Texas State Rep. Andy Hopper joined with Money to ask for abolishing abortion as a legislative priority.

O’Donnell testified against the Republican Party of Texas having a legislative priority on Protect Life that mentions equal protection in any way. But she was met by increasingly skeptical committee members, and when she was asked whether Texas Alliance for Life would commit to supporting any Protect Life legislative priority eventually passed, she refused to directly answer. In a media interview later in the week, she confirmed that Texas Alliance for Life would decline to support any Protect Life legislative priority that included language on criminalizing abortion.

O’Donnell also testified on striking Plank 195, the strongest call for abolition in the Platform, and was joined by Pregnancy Center of the Coastal Bend Executive Director Jana Pinson, who even compared abolitionists to Planned Parenthood while demanding the removal of Plank 195.

Beyond testifying to committee members, Abolish Abortion Texas team members responded to arguments from Texas Alliance for Life, both on social media and in printed materials handed to committee members, rebutting false claims from the Pro-Life establishment in real time.

The committee members, on the evening of June 9 selected Protect Life as the ninth of their top fifteen legislative priorities for more consideration, and the permanent committee later ranked Protect Life as eighth of fifteen. Abolish Abortion Texas recommended language calling on the Texas Legislature to “focus on securing the right to life and equal protection of the laws for all preborn children from the moment of fertilization,” as well as repealing the specific loopholes in Texas law granting women immunity for abortion and thereby keeping abortion legal in Texas.

The draft version of the Platform was released on the morning of June 10, and all of the proposed changes from Texas Alliance for Life were completely rejected. Plank 97, which deals with teaching Texas children that preborn babies should receive equal protection, was even strengthened in reaction to Texas Alliance for Life and after testimony from abolitionists, with language about the image of God in man and the sixth commandment in relation to abortion.

Plank 194, which handles a variety of anti-abortion policies, was also strengthened as a direct result of testimony from abolitionists. The committee took a voice vote without objection to strike language excluding mothers from penalties for the sale of fetal remains, removing the final vestige of maternal immunity from the Platform and wholly rejecting the second victim narrative.

The final legislative priority on Protect Life was released on the night of June 10, and members unanimously adopted language that calls for “equal protection under the law from the moment of fertilization until natural death,” as well as the repeal of loopholes in Texas law keeping abortion legal for women, marking the strongest legislative priority language ever seen on the issue.

Winning the Battle on the Convention Floor

With the work of the committees largely concluded, Abolish Abortion Texas shifted focus toward impacting the conservative grassroots with the case for abolition, and preparing for any Pro-Life establishment attempts to gut the Platform or legislative priority from the floor of the Convention.

Abolish Abortion Texas had a triple booth complete with signage and comprehensive handouts about equal protection, reaching hundreds of Texas Republicans throughout the event. Texas Alliance for Life also had a booth in the exhibit hall and distributed literature that argued against abolition, rather than actually making a positive case for their own Pro-Life legislative goals.

The grassroots have the opportunity to meet leading Texas Republicans throughout the event. Rice-Cameron was able to briefly discuss equal protection with Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and numerous state lawmakers and judiciary officials. Pierce meanwhile interviewed Money and Texas State Rep. David Lowe in the booth about the future of abolition, and took part in media interviews with leading Texas conservative outlets.

Texas Alliance for Life publicly announced on June 12 an effort to strike equal protection language from the floor of the Convention. They asked delegates to help them remove the portion calling on the Texas Legislature to close loopholes keeping abortion legal for women, and started passing out flyers attempting to mislead delegates into supporting their plan.

Abolish Abortion Texas and other abolitionists immediately strategized on how to shut down any attempt from Texas Alliance for Life to weaken the legislative priorities and Platform. The abolitionists held microphones on the floor of the Convention and printed a new literature piece warning about the effort to gut the legislative priority. They also left thousands of table tents about rising abortion numbers in the Convention room on the night of June 12, as well as held a short prayer and worship gathering to ask God for successful work ahead of the expected battle. 

June 13 marked the final day of the Convention, and the abolitionists arrived early in the morning to pass out the literature warning about Texas Alliance for Life trying to gut the legislative priority, easily outnumbering the few staff from Texas Alliance for Life who were handing out their own flyers. They also returned to holding microphones, and a video produced by Abolish Abortion Texas about equal protection played before the entire Convention.

O’Donnell made her motion to strike the equal protection and criminalization language from the Protect Life legislative priority, but the abolitionists were more than ready. Nathan Irving, Harhoef, Johan Gervais, Jason Martin, and others testified against O’Donnell, who was joined by Pinson, as well as a pro-abortion woman who told men to recuse themselves from voting.

When the debate ended and the question was called, the overwhelming majority of Texas Republicans voted against the motion from Texas Alliance for Life, preserving the strongest Protect Life legislative priority language ever considered by the Republican Party of Texas.

There was also an effort to strike language from the legislative priority calling for IVF to be restricted as a harmful practice to preborn babies. Pierce and Harhoef spoke against the motion, which was also rejected by the delegates, although somewhat less decisively.

This was the first time abolitionists had won a floor debate at the Convention, and the win decisively proved that the conservative grassroots in Texas demand equal protection for preborn babies, reject the second victim narrative, and want abortion to finally be abolished in Texas.

Keeping the Momentum for Equal Protection

This massive victory showed that Texas Alliance for Life and the broader Pro-Life establishment has lost the abortion debate within the Republican Party of Texas. The delegates have expressed that they overwhelmingly want to establish equal protection of the laws for preborn babies and criminalize abortion as murder for everyone involved. While the grassroots need further education on the dangers of Pro-Life regulations that distract from abolition, the support for equal protection reflects years of hard work from Abolish Abortion Texas and many others.

The numerous successes at the Convention provide opportunities for equal protection to advance more than ever before within the Texas Legislature. When lawmakers reconvene for the 2027 legislative session, they must be expected to align with the strongest stances on equal protection ever seen by the Republican Party of Texas, and to abolish abortion as a result.

While abolitionists won an important battle at the Republican Party of Texas Convention, there remains a broader war that must be waged. Abolish Abortion Texas spent many thousands of dollars to achieve victory, and to mount an effective campaign at the Texas Legislature for our Lord and for His preborn image-bearers in less than six months, we need to restock our armory.

 

We are inviting you to prayerfully consider making a one-time donation, or becoming a monthly sustaining donor, as Abolish Abortion Texas continues the fight for equal protection.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

 

We need many Christians in our state who desire abolition to sacrificially partner with us, becoming fellow soldiers in this endeavor to serve King Jesus and establish justice in His name. We are thankful for your support, and for all that God is accomplishing in Texas for His glory.