House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy met Tuesday with anti-abortion leaders to discuss how to move ahead with a midterm abortion ban that was abruptly derailed last week, but there’s no consensus yet.
The challenge is reaching agreement on how to treat a provision in the bill requiring women who have been raped to report the crime before they can get an abortion past 20 weeks of pregnancy. The bill prohibits abortions after that point except in cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is at stake.
A number of Republican women — led by Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina — objected to requiring rape victims to report the crime, a provision they said was unfriendly to women. They want the language stripped out. But some conservatives say that would put a big loophole in the bill.
Behind the scenes, activists have been trying to rally support among rank-and-file members. Earlier this week one of the major groups advocating for the bill, the Susan B. Anthony List, emailed lawmakers to urge their support. The email also reminds members that the House already passed the same bill in 2013.
“To say we are disappointed is an understatement,” the email said. “Despite this temporary setback, SBA List is committed to working with Leader McCarthy who has pledged a prompt vote.”
The original plan was to vote on the bill last Thursday, the same time as the annual March for Life, where activists protest legalized abortion.
It’s unclear whether or when Republicans will be able to reach consensus on the measure. McCarthy didn’t mention the abortion ban in a memo sent Thursdays to members today outlining the February agenda — although he’s promised a vote on it.
Instead, he highlighted a vote scheduled for next week repealing the Affordable Care Act. The House has already voted three times to repeal the entire law. But the bill being taken up this year — sponsored by sophomore Rep. Bradley Byrne of Alabama — also instructs committees to work on a GOP alternative, McCarthy wrote.
“This legislation will also include instructions to the relevant committees to develop our patient-centered healthcare reforms,” he wrote.
