Anti-abortion activists aim to sway GOP White House hopefuls

CHICAGO Emboldened anti-abortion activists are looking to the 2024 presidential election as an opportunity to solidify their influence over the Republican Party.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the most influential group in the anti-abortion movement, is telling each potential GOP presidential hopeful that to win its backing or avoid being a target of its opposition they must support national restrictions on the procedure. Exceptions in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother are acceptable, the activists say, but leaving the question for states to decide is not.

It is a level of protection that goes to every single state. Thats the baseline of what were looking to do, said Frank Cannon, Susan B. Anthony's chief political strategist. Anything less than that will not be acceptable and will not be somebody that SBA can support. So, its that simple.

That directive is creating an early litmus test for Republicans considering entering the first presidential election since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that enshrined federal protections for abortion for roughly 50 years. While the hard-line stance could please anti-abortion activists who hold sway in GOP primaries, it could create problems for the party's eventual nominee in the general election.