GOP's Anti-Abortion Bill Runs Into Trouble And Is Withdrawn

The Republicans were thrilled when they took control of both houses of Congress in the last election. They thought they finally had the power to force the president (and Democrats) to bow to their wishes. And one of those wishes was to chip away at a woman's right to choose. They know they could not outright overturn that right (which is guaranteed by the Supreme Court decision in Roe vs. Wade), but they thought they could keep putting restrictions on that right until it was worthless.

And they wasted no time in starting. In the first month of the 114th Congress, the GOP members of the House proposed a bill that would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks (Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act). But the bill ran into trouble before even reaching the House floor for a vote. The few moderate Republicans left in the House rebelled, because they didn't want to bring up an issue that could hurt them in the next election, and they were joined by the House's GOP women, who were appalled at the rape language in the bill.

This posed a situation that could be embarrassing for the party, and for House GOP leaders. If those rebellious elements joined House Democrats in voting against the bill, there was a real possibility that the bill could suffer defeat in that strongly Republican body -- and that would make the Republicans look weak to their base (and other Americans). What were the House GOP leaders to do?

They blinked -- and withdrew the bill from consideration. The bill will not be brought to the House floor for a vote (at least not now, and not in its present form). Instead, they are bringing up a bill they know they can pass (because they passed it in the 113th Congress) -- the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. That would be largely a symbolic vote (since no federal funds are currently used to pay for abortions), and aimed at trying to show their base (many of them evangelicals) that they are doing something that will please them.

The Republicans are beginning to learn that trying to govern is a lot harder than just trying to obstruct what others are trying to accomplish. I expect this will not be the only time that lesson is rather harshly brought to their attention.