House passes late term abortion ban
Washington (CNN) - The House of Representatives Tuesday passed a GOP-sponsored bill banning so- called "late term abortions" - procedures for women who are beyond 20 weeks into their pregnancy. The vote was 228-196, mostly along party lines.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Trent Franks, R-Arizona, stirred up controversy last week when he opposed an effort by House Democrats to add an exception for women who are raped, arguing that "the incidents of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low."
House Democrats seized on the comment, and because of the backlash GOP leaders later decided to add new language to the bill allowing women who get pregnant as a result of rape or incest to obtain an abortion if they report the crime to authorities.
The White House has threatened a veto on the legislation, but the Democratic-led Senate is not expected to take up the measure.
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I'm not sure why an exception for rape is necessary. Even if you get pregnant because of rape, you obviously know you're pregnant well before 22 weeks.
I'm prochoice but late term abortion is where I draw the line. My niece was born at 24 weeks and just turned 10 this year. She is smart and healthy. It's hard to believe that anyone could legally abort a fetus that is just a week or two shy of surviving outside the womb. 22 weeks is 5 months pregnant! The rape comment is just stupid but it shouldn't take anyone more than 5 months to make a choice.
When you make medical procedures illegal, the only people who will perform them are criminals. Do you want that blood on your hands? Do you want to create murderers?
Can we all just agree, that we are not going to agree on this subject? If you want to make a LEGITIMATE point then do so, but if you are just going to use hate speech then please leave.
Here we go again. Republicans PROVING that they are ReTHUGlicans.
Wow, for once I can say congress did the right thing!
*If you disagree with me and thing late term abortions are "ok-doky" I encourage you to watch one. If that wouldn't change your mind......what kind of a human being are you?
Good to see this has priority over gun control and immigration reform. Who says Republicans never do anything. Keep up the good work.
Another wasted effort by the House GOP and more money wasted on a useless vote they know has no chance of EVER becoming law..just another in a string of wasted votes and taxpayer money by the GOP led House!! Now if they would just get around to doing something that could get to the President to be signed..
So, the only opposition they can write about is "what if it's due to rape?" Does it take 22 weeks to know that a rape has resulted in pregnancy? Granted, i'm sure the rape-survivor's focus is elsewhere, but that is around four months. At what point does a person have to take responsibility for their life? Yes, there are things that happen to us that we did not intend, and in the case of rape, it is completely understandable that the pregnancy is a burden and even a continuation of the trauma for that person. But outside of that, at what point do we actually hold people accountable to the simple fact that pregnancy is the purpose of sex. If you do not wish to create a child, do not have sex. Yes, sex is a wonderful thing, but it can have consequences. If you don't like those consequences or wish to not face them, don't have sex. I'm guessing that is expecting too much from people. However, you will grant the woman the "right to choose" to keep the child and then force the father to support it even if he didn't want it. Hypocrisy abounds.
This is an affront to women. Women considering late term abortion are approximately 100% likely to be reacting to the health of the fetus or their own health. This is nothing more than an attempt to return women to chattel status.
At least they haven't wasted time on unemployment, the budget, the debt or climate change. Nice to see they have plenty of time to blow on pointless votes that have no chance of becoming law like the 37 times they voted to repeal Obamacare. This is the most utterly useless Congress in the history of the country and I'm sorry most of the problem is the Republicans stonewalling and demanding votes to play to their conservative base that only waste time. You're a pack of conservatives, we get it, MOVE ON! I'm an independent but the current crop of Republicans are the most useless part of the most useless Congress ever. I say fire them all but start with the ones wasting time on pointless votes!
I am NOT a conservative. Or a tea party nut. Religious zealot or fanatic. However, there must be a time when the woman has had time to come to terms with either having the child or aborting it. The 20 week limit seems reasonable for such a difficult decision. Beyond that time I would argue is excessive. Especially in the case of rape or insist one would think the time frame for abortion would be much much shorter at the request of the victim being forced to carry a child conceived from such a horrible event. The only time I would disagree with the 20 week time frame is, if the mothers life was in danger and then it should still be the choice of the woman. As for those that say Plan parent hood should be closed. First come up with a way to feed, cloth all of these extra mouths. Next think about all of the people they have helped with education and birth control. The population of the world is growing faster and faster and people need to have a chance to control that themselves. Education is the first step and anyone who thinks that NOT educating their children about sex are doing their children a disservice. It is a part of life, get over it. It is as natural as going to the bathroom or blowing your nose. I find it very interesting that religious people find entertainment by watching violence on TV, Movies and in video games but when nudity or sex are involved it it disgusting. But when a woman makes the choice to have an abortion that is unexceptable. Well life is not all smiles and giggles and church hymns. People have to make serious choices and I agree abortion should not be used as birth control but it does have a place. Especially if you have ever seem a child born to a mother that does not want it and neglects it. And the fact is that foster care is not pretty either. So stop making this a religious topic. It is a social, educational and economical topic. Life is life and the "church" may paint it as black and white but it is not. There are many many shades of grey. And as you religious types say, God did grant us free agency to make our own choices. And, if he is so merciful maybe he is doing these aborted children a favor by sparing them the fanatical, political, violent crazy world.
I can't wait for the day when these people are no longer permitted to occupy a perfectly good chamber seat. None of these people should even BE in Congress in the first place.
The continuation of personal freedom being wiped way in America.
A complete waste of taxpayer money. Dock the sponsors of the bill for the cost of this charade.
Here they go again. Do-nothing Republicans beating up on pregnant women for sport. Be sure to repeal Obamacare so they can't even get pre-natal care and hospital deliveries, OK?
Every single member of Congress that voted for this should be denied treatment for any disease or illness they get. After all ,the jesus on a stick must want them to have cancer if they get it.
My god did you see all the nasty Republican wemon on the house floor today looks like someone needs to take out the trash.
.... And they call the Republicans the party of No. Harry Reid is a one man wrecking crew for legislation.
The GOP sickens me: these supposed "freedom lovers" have no qualms controlling a woman's body; no qualms letting a woman die to protect a fetus; no problem sending people off to die in wars we were lied into – all the while smugly thinking they are better than everyone else because they say "Praise Jesus" on a regular basis.
The GOP doesn't even want to permit an abortion when the child is the product or rape or incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. They also don't want to allow abortions for fetuses that are severely malformed and will be severely disabled, but then reject funding for Medicaid that parents of disabled children need to help them cover the extravagant health-care costs associated with raising a disabled child. Then the GOP tries to claim that the way to take care of high care costs is to repeal regulations – so that private institutions can go back to beating the kids with belts and locking them in closets just like in the old days.
GOP hates women.
If the Republicans ever want any creditability, they will have to do better than passing an anti-abortion bill. There is so much other legislation that needs fixing.
Yet more time wasting.
The Republicans really need to let this go. Abortion is constitutionally guaranteed. They are wasting taxpayer dollars and alienating female voters. LET. IT. GO.