Recently, there has been some debate within the Republican Party about whether to change the official 2024 GOP platform to exclude or weaken its commitment to protecting the unborn. Doing so would be a fatal mistake. It would not only abandon vulnerable Americans who deserve help; it would dramatically jeopardize Republican hopes for 2024.

Republicans can't afford to signal retreat on abortion. The move would embolden aggressive Democrats who are already coalescing behind an extreme pro-abortion agenda. It would destroy any possibility for Republicans to leverage the damning contrast between Democrats' bleak pro-abortion vision and a life-affirming hope for America.

Pro-life Republicans currently have three critical advantages over Democrats on this issue.

The first is their support of the pro-life safety net and pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) across the nation. For decades, the pro-life safety net has worked to ensure that no girl or woman has to face an unexpected or difficult pregnancy alone. It is critical to offering women real, tangible choices.

Pregnancy resource centers have provided hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of material and emotional support, educational and career resources, love, hope, and so much more—completely free of charge—to vulnerable pregnant women and their families. These heroic organizations, which save the communities they serve millions of dollars annually, are supported by over 80 percent of Americans.

Sadly, pro-abortion radical Democrats have targeted PRCs for not bowing to the Big Abortion industry. Through insidious smear campaigns, deceptive legislation, and even physical attacks, pro-abortion extremists have sought to shut these centers down and thereby deprive women of real choices and support. Meanwhile, the Biden administration, which gave abortion industry giant Planned Parenthood $700 million in a single year, has sought to strip PRCs of the meager federal and state funding they receive. These attacks on life-affirming support for moms, babies, and their families is the Democratic Party's Achilles Heel—and Republicans can't afford to ignore it.

Secondly, Joe Biden's radical pro-abortion record is particularly out of step with the average American voter. Polling shows that over 7 in 10 Americans oppose abortion after 15 weeks, the point at which the vast majority of European nations limit elective abortions. These voters would be disgusted to learn that the Biden administration is aggressively fighting to enshrine a federal "right" to taxpayer-funded abortion through all nine months, with zero protections for babies born alive after abortion or for pain-capable unborn children (something only 10 percent of Americans actually support.)

The Biden administration's weaponization of government agencies like the Department of Defense and the Justice Department to promote an extreme abortion agenda is another red flag to voters. Similarly, the administration's obsession with forcing health care professionals and even religious sisters to sacrifice their consciences on the altar of Big Abortion is another area where Republicans clearly have the moral, political, and social high ground. The same is true of the administration's aggressive targeting of peaceful pro-life advocates like Mark Houck, which differs sharply from the administration's silence regarding dozens of incidents of arson and other attacks on pro-life clinics across the nation.

This brings us to another massive chink in the Democrats' pro-abortion armor: abortion coercion. Research shows that nearly 70 percent of post-abortive women reported that their abortions were inconsistent with their values and preferences. Sixty percent say they would have chosen life if they had better resources or support.

Yet the very same Democrats who claim to support women's "choice" not only ignore this epidemic of coercion—they enable it. In exchange for its campaign support, Democrats give hundreds of millions of dollars to an abortion industry tainted by the coercion of vulnerable pregnant girls and women. Meanwhile, they mercilessly attack the charitable organizations that provide resources and support to women so they can feel confident in dealing with an unexpected pregnancy.

The facts are clear. Republicans have the moral—and political—upper hand on abortion, if they are willing to stake their position on it rather than allowing extreme opponents to define them. It is imperative that the party not follow the doomed playbook of many GOP hopefuls in the 2022 midterms, who cratered their own campaigns by ducking the issue. Rather, Republicans should hold fast to the pro-life provisions that have consistently been included in their platform since 1980.

Republicans must focus on the many advantages they have over Democrats on the life issue. And the party must not abandon its strong commitment to protecting the unborn—not now, when it is needed most.

The Honorable Tim Huelskamp, Ph.D. is a member of the 2024 RNC Platform Committee and represented the 1st District Kansas in Congress for 6 years. He has 30-plus years of campaign, policy, and legislative experience at both the federal and state levels and is a well-known national leader, policymaker, communicator, and campaign advisor.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.