¶ Overview
Whatley touted that he was pro-life and that he worked to have “pro-life” candidates elected.
Whatley supported a 12-week abortion ban.
Whatley celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade praising anti-abortion activists and the Supreme Court Justices.
¶ Whatley’s Extreme Anti-Choice Views Put North Carolina Women At-Risk
¶ Whatley Claimed That He Was “Pro-Life”
¶ Whatley Touted That He Was A “Pro-Life” RNC Chair And That The Republican Party Was A “Pro-Life” Party
Whatley Claimed That As Long As He Was Chair Of The Republican Party, The Party Would Be A “Pro-Life” Party. According to USA Today, “‘I am here to tell you today that as long as I am chair of the Republican National Committee, this party is going to be a pro-life, pro-family, pro-faith party,’ Whatley told the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s prayer breakfast.” [USA Today, 7/18/24]
Whatley Claimed That He Was The “Most Pro-Life Chair In The History Of The Republican Party.” According to USA Today, “Whatley sought to assuage any concerns on the issue at the conservative prayer breakfast on Thursday. ‘I am proud to be the most pro-life chair in the history of the Republican Party. I am proud to work for the president, who has been the most pro-life president in the history of this country,’ he said.” [USA Today, 7/18/24]
Whatley Claimed That The RNC “Put Together A Very Strong Pro-Life Platform.” According to USA Today, “Whatley told attendees to the prayer breakfast that the committee ‘put together a very strong pro-life platform.’” [USA Today, 7/18/24]
[VIDEO] Whatley Claimed That As Long As He Was RNC Chair Then The Republican Party Would Be “Pro-Life.” “Let me just tell you. As long as I am the chair of the RNC, we are absolutely pro-life,” [Believers for Trump, 10/18/24]
¶ Whatley Praised Trump As The Most Pro-Life President In American History
[VIDEO] Whatley Claimed That Trump Was The Most Pro-Life President That America Ever Had. “Donald Trump in his four years in the White House was the most pro-life president this country has ever had. He appointed hundreds of conservative judges. On the district courts, on the circuit courts, and he appointed three of them on the U.S. Supreme Court. Three of them who were the deciding votes to overturn Roe versus Wade. Kamala Harris has said she is going to be the most pro-abortion president in history. Do we really want to celebrate that? Do we really want a president who believes that abortion is right up to the moment of birth or even beyond? No. That's not where the American people are. But there's more than abortion on the on the ballot.” [Believers for Trump, 10/18/24]
¶ Whatley Claimed That He Would Work To Elect Pro-Life Majorities
Whatley Claimed That He Was Proud Of The Work He Did To Elect Pro-Life Candidates And That He Would Work To Ensure Pro-Life Majorities In A Post-Roe Future. According to a press release from the North Carolina Republican Party, “‘I am proud of the work that I and thousands of Republican Activists across North Carolina have done for years to elect pro-life candidates to the Senate, Congress and the State Legislature,’ said NCGOP Chairman Michael Whatley. ‘But our work is hardly finished. The balance of the General Assembly and the Supreme Court in North Carolina has never been more important, and we will continue fighting from now through Election Day and beyond to ensure that we have pro-life majorities as we face a post-Roe future.’” [Press Release – North Carolina Republican Party, 5/3/22]
Whatley Claimed That It Has “Never Been More Important” To Have “Pro-Life Majorities.” According to the Associated Press, “Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley said in a release that the balance of the General Assembly and the Supreme Court ‘has never been more important’ to ensure that ‘pro-life majorities’ are in charge in a post-Roe future.” [Associated Press, 5/4/22]
Whatley Claimed That He Would Fight To Ensure That North Carolina Has “Pro-Life Majorities.” According to the News & Observer, “Michael Whatley, chairman of the N.C. GOP, said he was proud of activism on the part of the anti-abortion movement. ‘The Supreme Court has restored a Constitutional stance in our nation when it comes to the Sanctity of Life. I am proud of the work that thousands of Republican Activists across North Carolina have done for years to elect pro-life candidates to the Senate, Congress and the State Legislature. We will continue fighting from now through Election Day and beyond to ensure that we have pro-life majorities as we enter a post-Roe future.’” [News & Observer, 6/30/23]
¶ Whatley Supported A 12-Week Abortion Ban
¶ Whatley Praised The Overturning Of Cooper’s Veto Of A 12-Week Abortion Ban
Whatley Claimed That He “Commend” The General Assembly For Overturning Cooper’s Veto And For Protecting “Life In North Carolina.” According to a press release from the North Carolina Republican Party, “‘The voters of North Carolina have rejected the radical abortion-on-demand position of Roy Cooper, Josh Stein, and the Democrat Party,’ said NCGOP Chairman Michael Whatley. ‘I commend our Republican-led General Assembly for overriding Gov. Cooper's veto of this balanced and widely-supported legislation and moving forward to protect life in North Carolina.’” [Press Release – North Carolina Republican Party, 5/16/23]
- Whatley “Commend” The General Assembly For Overriding Cooper’s Veto Of A 12-Week Abortion Ban. According to North State Journal, “‘The voters of North Carolina have rejected the radical abortion-on-demand position of Roy Cooper, Josh Stein, and the Democrat Party,’ said NCGOP Chairman Michael Whatley. ‘I commend our Republican-led General Assembly for overriding Gov. Cooper's veto of this balanced and widely-supported legislation and moving forward to protect life in North Carolina.’” [North State Journal, 5/16/23]
- Cooper Vetoed A Bill That Would Ban Abortions After The First Trimester. According to Politico, “North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Saturday vetoed a bill banning abortions after the first trimester, teeing up an override vote by the GOP supermajority legislature.” [Politico, 5/13/25]
While Whatley Was Chair, The NCGOP Claimed That The Party “Welcome The Enactment” Of “Reasonable Legislation To Protect Life After The First Trimester.” According to a press release from the North Carolina Republican Party, “We congratulate the Republican super-majority for voting to override Governor Cooper's veto and we welcome the enactment of this reasonable legislation to protect life after the first trimester in North Carolina.” [Press Release – North Carolina Republican Party, 5/16/23]
¶ Whatley Praised The Dobbs Decision
¶ Whatley Supported The Overturning Of Roe
While Whatley Was Chair, The NCGOP Released A Press Release Claiming That The Party Hoped That The Supreme Court Would Overturn Roe V. Wade. According to a press release from the North Carolina Republican Party, “Along with millions of pro-life Americans across the United States, the NCGOP is optimistic that the Supreme Court will overturn Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Roe v. Wade later this Summer. Although we must wait until an opinion is handed down to know the particular details of the decision, it is important to note that such a decision will mark an extremely important milestone in the fight to protect the Sanctity of Life.” [Press Release – North Carolina Republican Party, 5/3/22]
[AUDIO] Whatley Claimed That The Overturning Of Roe Was “Absolutely Fantastic.” “We fought to end Roe v Wade and to return this issue back to the states where it belongs. And so now we have actually had that done, thanks in large part to the fact that President Trump was able to put three rock solid conservatives on the Supreme Court and give us a conservative majority. So they will overturn Roe v Wade. And that's absolutely fantastic. This discussion needs to go back to the states now, and that's where this discussion should have always been.” [The Jason Rantz Show, 6/8/24]
¶ Whatley Claimed That The Supreme Court “Restored A Constitutional Stance” When It Came To The “Sanctity Of Life”
Whatley Claimed That The Supreme Court “Restored A Constitutional Stance” When It Came To The “Sanctity Of Life.” According to the News & Observer, “Michael Whatley, chairman of the N.C. GOP, said he was proud of activism on the part of the anti-abortion movement. ‘The Supreme Court has restored a Constitutional stance in our nation when it comes to the Sanctity of Life. I am proud of the work that thousands of Republican Activists across North Carolina have done for years to elect pro-life candidates to the Senate, Congress and the State Legislature. We will continue fighting from now through Election Day and beyond to ensure that we have pro-life majorities as we enter a post-Roe future.’” [News & Observer, 6/30/23]
- Whatley Claimed That The Supreme Court “Restored A Constitutional Stance In Our Nation When It Comes To The Sanctity Of Life.” Michael Whatley posted, “The Supreme Court has restored a Constitutional stance in our nation when it comes to the Sanctity of Life. I am proud of the work that thousands of Republican Activists across North Carolina have done for years to elect pro-life candidates to the Senate, Congress and the State Legislature. We will continue fighting from now through Election Day and beyond to ensure that we have pro-life majorities as we enter a post-Roe future.” [Facebook, Michael Whatley For Senate, 6/24/22]
¶ Whatley Claimed That He Was Proud Of The Anti-Choice Republican Activists
Whatley Claimed That He Was “Proud” Of Anti-Choice Republican Activists. According to the News & Observer, “Michael Whatley, chairman of the N.C. GOP, said he was proud of activism on the part of the anti-abortion movement. ‘The Supreme Court has restored a Constitutional stance in our nation when it comes to the Sanctity of Life. I am proud of the work that thousands of Republican Activists across North Carolina have done for years to elect pro-life candidates to the Senate, Congress and the State Legislature. We will continue fighting from now through Election Day and beyond to ensure that we have pro-life majorities as we enter a post-Roe future.’” [News & Observer, 6/30/23]
¶ Whatley Praised The Supreme Court Justices Who Struck Down Roe
[VIDEO] Whatley Praised The Three Trump Nominated Supreme Court Justices And Thanked God That They Overturned Roe V Wade. “Elections have consequences. Donald Trump nominated the Senate confirmed over 300 conservative federal judges during his four years. Including three of them on the United States Supreme Court. Without those decisions, we would still have Roe v Wade is the law of the land, and thank God it's not.” [Faith & Freedom, Salt & Light Conference, 9/26/22]
¶ Under Whatley’s Leadership, The North Carolina Republican Party Platform Adopted Language That Would Effectively Oppose IVF
¶ Under Whatley’s Leadership The NCGOP Adopted A Platform That Effectively Opposed IVF
Under Whatley’s Leadership The North Carolina Republican Party Adopted A Platform That Opposed Scientific Procures That Involved Discarding Embryos. According to Popular.Info, “Whatley has been the chair of the North Carolina Republican Party since 2019. Under his leadership, the North Carolina Republican Party has consistently opposed scientific procedures that involve discarding human embryos, saying such actions violate ‘the sanctity of all human life.’ The most recent version of the North Carolina Republican Party Platform, approved in 2022, states that ‘[u]nborn children have constitutional rights to life and liberty and, the government must respect and protect all innocent human life from conception to natural death.’ Specifically, the party opposes ‘the destruction of human embryos.’ A previous version of the platform under Whatley, approved by the North Carolina Republican Party in 2020, contains identical language.” [Popular.Info, 2/29/24]
The Position Of The North Carolina Republican Party On Embryos Mirrored Language Used In The Alabama Supreme Court Decision To Justify Effectively Banning IVF. According to Popular.Info, “The position of the North Carolina GOP under Whatley on embryos mirrors a recent decision by the Alabama Supreme Court. On February 16, Alabama's highest court ruled that frozen embryos are ‘children’ — entitled to the same legal protections as an infant or a third grader. This was based on a religious conviction of when life begins. In a concurring option, Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker stated that the decision is grounded ‘theologically based view of the sanctity of life.’ According to Parker, because ‘human life cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God, who views the destruction of His image as an affront to Himself.’ Doctors at fertility clinics typically create several embryos as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and implant the embryo with the highest chance of resulting in a successful pregnancy. Often, the extra frozen embryos are discarded. In the days after the Alabama ruling, several Alabama fertility clinics stopped offering IVF, fearing criminal prosecution and civil liability.” [Popular.Info, 2/29/24]
¶ Pro-Life Groups Were Backing Whatley’s Campaign
¶ Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Planned To Support Of Whatley’s Campaign
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Planned To Spend $4.5 Million Through Digital Advertising, Voter Contact Mail, And An Early Vote Campaign In Support Of Whatley. According to the Center Square, “Republican Michael Whatley’s campaign for a U.S. Senate seat from North Carolina got a $4.5 million injection from the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America group. Digital advertising, voter contact mail, and an early vote campaign are cited by the group in its investment.” [Center Square, 10/2/25]
- The Group Claimed That Cooper Was A “Pro-Abortion Radical.” According to Center Square, “The group denounced Democrat Roy Cooper, calling him ‘a pro-abortion radical.’” [Center Square, 10/2/25]
Pro-Life Group, SBA Pro-Life America, Planned A $80 Million Voter Outreach Campaign In Support Of Pro-Life Senate Candidates Including North Carolina. According to Politico, “Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and its affiliated super PAC plan to pour $80 million into electing anti-abortion candidates in 2026 in at least four battleground states, according to plans shared first with POLITICO. […] The $80 million campaign aims to contact 10.5 million voters nationwide, through canvassing, digital advertising, voter contact mail and an early vote campaign. That includes knocking on 4.5 million doors across four Senate battleground states — Iowa, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina — all of which also feature competitive House races.” [Politico, 11/12/25]