Conservatives won't primary everyone every cycle. But you never want to be #1 on the list. Bad idea, Renee Ellmers.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) January 22, 2015
Damned women won’t vote the way sky jeebus and men’s consciences dictate:
House Republican leaders abruptly dropped plans late Wednesday to vote on an anti-abortion bill amid a revolt by female GOP lawmakers concerned that the legislation’s restrictive language would once again spoil the party’s chances of broadening its appeal to women and younger voters.
In recent days, as many as two dozen Republicans had raised concerns with the “Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” that would ban abortions after the 20th week of a pregnancy. Sponsors said that exceptions would be allowed for a woman who is raped, but she could only get the abortion after reporting the rape to law enforcement.
A vote had been scheduled for Thursday to coincide with the annual March for Life, a gathering that brings hundreds of thousands of anti-abortion activists to Washington to mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
But Republican leaders dropped those plans after failing to win over a bloc of lawmakers, led by Reps. Rene Ellmers (R-N.C.) and Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), who had raised concerns.
The House will vote instead Thursday on a bill prohibiting federal funding for abortions — a more innocuous anti-abortion measure that the Republican-controlled chamber has passed before.
I’m not sure what the second bill would do other than symbolism, because I would presume the Hyde amendement already covers this.
At any rate, much press has been given to the notion that the women in the GOP caucus were afraid of the optics of this kind of bill being passed so early in congress, but I think the real reason they are balking is because it is a very extreme bill that is completely unnecessary, and folks who actually have and use their ladyparts might have a different idea how awful this bill is than some southern male godbothering jackass. The bill is going to be vetoed, anyway, and would dip them back into the “legitimate abortion” debate that killed them a few years back, so I was kind of hoping the lunatics would pass it.
Lurking Canadian
It’s kind of striking. These women are already prominent, female members of the modern Republican party. Consider what they already support (or at least put up with) in order to hold that role.
Now imagine how far right you have to be, in order to be too far right even for them.
Rhodybrah
“Legitimate rape” I believe it was.
jeffreyw
Sad Kitteh waits in vain for puppeh pics.
schrodinger's cat
@jeffreyw: Squee, her has a pretty! How is your gang? Especially, bad kitteh Homer.
MattF
I suppose Repubs will just move on to attempting to gut Dodd-Frank.”Nobody here but us plutocrats.”
Gin & Tonic
@jeffreyw: As do we all.
jeffreyw
@schrodinger’s cat: Everyone is about the same, Homer is back in the garage at night.
schrodinger's cat
@jeffreyw: Isn’t it too cold for that? What did bad kitteh do this time?
Josie
@jeffreyw: I’m with sad kitty.
ETA: That is a face to cause constant cuddling.
Belafon
Actually, I think the Republican women had voted for it years ago to cover the conservative flank knowing that it wouldn’t get out of Congress. Now, they don’t have Democrats to protect them, they have to deal with bills that might affect them or their family members.
Hal
not based on any actual science, but oh well. Depriving Obama of a potential high profile veto.
The Raven on the Hill
RH Reality Check on the replacement bill:
The Ancient Randonneur
What, they couldn’t get the free aspirin language into the bill?
jeffreyw
@schrodinger’s cat: It’s not that cold here, and he has a nice bed in there. Ongoing late night contretemps involving Toby, Bea, or Ginger. Much squalling, loss of fur, loss of sleep.
Tommy
My family is all men. Until my niece was born it was four generations of nothing but males born. I think 1912 was the last time somebody in my family had a little girl.
We just don’t seem to birth women. But the men in my family marry strong women. The backbone of my family. Being raised by strong women has always worked well for me.
Mom is a rock star. She runs elections in her district. Founded a women’s rape crisis center. Volunteers at the local hospital daily. Dad is kind of “stand off” but Mom the exact opposite. She taught me to engage and live life.
schrodinger's cat
What is uteri? Shouldn’t the plural of uterus be uterii, like radius and radii.
ETA: OK it is uteri according to Google, I guess I should have checked before commenting.
Cervantes
@schrodinger’s cat:
Maybe take another look.
Pogonip
How is Ginger’s foot, and when may we expect the next pupdate?
Cervantes
@Belafon:
Yes.
And now this, from Ellmers (via her Facebook page last night):
She’s not as good at clearing up misinformation as she thinks.
Origuy
@jeffreyw: Do you have a Kickstarter for Sad Kitteh? She could be the next Grumpy Cat.
John Cole +0
@Pogonip: Ginger’s foot is fine.
tsquared2001
@Hal: I like the bill’s title:
Pain Capable
Unborn Child
That’s gold, Jerry! Gold!
jeffreyw
@Origuy: I ripped off the Sad Kitty meme from a commenter over at LGF. I see that a Kickstarter campaign for something called Exploding Kittens is doing well.
srv
Clearly, the baby is evidence. Logically, it should be a crime to tamper with evidence.
Tommy
@Cervantes: My grandfather was a small town rural doctor. Hardcore Republican.
There was a time you could get an abortion in his office if you needed. Totally illegal at the time. I know it was against what he thought people should do. But it was offered, free of charge.
But he was also known as the “baby doctor.” Was there for the birth of more than 3,700 children, myself included. It always stuns me when I am in their town and people seem to find me at church and tell me about my grandfather. That he was there for the most happy day in their life.
Pogonip
@John Cole +0: Great!
beth
Has anyone read anything about this bill? Are there penalties for abortions after 20 weeks? Will they throw a woman in jail if she self-aborts or are only doctors going to be jailed? Will they let a doctor decide if a woman’s life is in danger and accept his decision (shades of Terri Schiavvo) or will men be going to court to keep their wives alive? I haven’t seen any reporting besides “it bans abortions after 20 weeks”.
burnspbesq
I don’t know why more women haven’t figured out that by the simple expedient of incorporating their uteri, the states will lose all interest in regulating them.
Rob in CT
Rape exceptions make no sense. I mean, hell, it’s better than no exceptions, but the logic is all sorts of screwy. Fetuses are people and ‘bortion is murder, ‘cept if daddy is a rapist. Wut? The fetus didn’t do it! It actually illustrates very well that being “pro-life” is about controlling sexuality. A rape exception is a “good girl” exception (not that many RWers won’t still blame the victim, but…).
The women who revolted in this instance are just fine with resticting abortions in other circumstances. Bad girls still need their punishment.
Calouste
@schrodinger’s cat: It’s uterus, not uterius, in which case you would indeed end up with a double i.
Glidwrith
@srv: Don’t laugh. I have actually heard this argument made.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@Rob in CT:
Also keep this in mind: to these guys, it’s okay to abort a rape baby, but it’s wrong, evil and bad to abort a child whose brain is growing outside of its skull and will never survive the birth process.
Frank in midtown
It seems to me that a fine either/or line of attack has been made available. How can they support aid to Israel since that fine state offers abortions as part of their state healthcare system. Obviously the aid is subsidizing abortions in Israel, so either they support their money being used for abortions OR they support Israel. I’m thinking about trying this one out on Fincher.