What's hilarious about this proposed bill is the political troubles it has, once again, brought the Republican Party:
As introduced, the bill provided for an exception to the ban only in cases of a physical condition that endangers the life of the mother. In the Judiciary Committee last week, Republicans rejected Democratic attempts to include rape, incest and other health problems as grounds for exceptions.Bolds are mine. The Republicans are tone-deaf about this issue, utterly so, and the reason is most likely that they truly don't see women as a group of voters they should compete for.
But Franks, during debate on the rape exception, angered Democrats and drew unwanted publicity to the bill when he stated that cases of "rape resulting in pregnancy are very low."
Franks later rephrased his remark, but GOP leaders rushed to impose damage control. A provision was inserted in the bill heading to the House floor including a rape and incest exception, and Franks, who heads the Judiciary subcommittee on the constitution and civil justice, was replaced as floor manager for the bill by Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who is not a member of the Judiciary Committee.
Democrats had pointed out that every Republican on the Judiciary Committee that approved the anti-abortion bill was a man.
Neither are they ultimately concerned about pregnant women or even children, after they are born. Indeed, many powerful pro-lifers seem to lose all interest in being pro-life once the birth has been forced to take place. Hence my name for them: forced-birthers.