House Republicans scrambled on Thursday to appease social conservatives after unexpectedly canceling a vote on a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act passed the House easily just two years ago. The bill was expected to sail through the GOP-controlled House on Thursday, the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s landmark abortion-rights decision. But Republican leaders pulled the bill on the eve of the vote after some members of their caucus withdrew support because the rape exception in the bill is too narrow. The legislation requires women to have reported the rape to police in order to invoke the rape exception to the abortion restrictions.
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Igor Bobic contributed reporting.
