diff --git a/gtest.spec b/gtest.spec
index efcff9e..ccfaad8 100644
--- a/gtest.spec
+++ b/gtest.spec
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 Summary:        Google C++ testing framework
 Name:           gtest
 Version:        1.7.0
-Release:        6%{?dist}
+Release:        7%{?dist}
 License:        BSD
 Group:          Development/Tools
 URL:            http://code.google.com/p/googletest/
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ This package contains development files for %{name}.
 cp -a ./samples ./samples.orig
 
 %build
+# disable C++ compiler optimization since it breaks exception handling
+CXXFLAGS="${CXXFLAGS:-%optflags}"
+CXXFLAGS=$(sed -e "s/-O\w*//" <<<$CXXFLAGS)
 # this is odd but needed only to generate gtest-config.
 %configure
 mkdir build && pushd build
@@ -90,6 +93,9 @@ install -D -p -m 0644 m4/gtest.m4 %{buildroot}%{_datadir}/aclocal/gtest.m4
 %{_includedir}/gtest
 
 %changelog
+* Wed Dec 21 2016 Merlin Mathesius <mmathesi@redhat.com> - 1.7.0-7
+- Disable C++ compiler optimization to fix FTBFS (BZ#1406937).
+
 * Wed Feb 03 2016 Fedora Release Engineering <releng@fedoraproject.org> - 1.7.0-6
 - Rebuilt for https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_24_Mass_Rebuild