Six Democrats and six Republicans broke with their respective parties late Tuesday on House GOP legislation to ban nearly all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, written by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), creates narrow exemptions to protect the life of the mother, and in cases of rape and incest as long as the crimes have been reported. It passed 228-196 but won’t become law because Democrats control the Senate and White House.
The six Democrats who voted for the act were Reps. Nick Rahall (WV), Collin Peterson (MN), Jim Matheson (UT), Mike McIntyre (NC), Dan Lipinski (IL) and Henry Cuellar (TX).
The first four hail from significantly Republican-leaning districts. Lipinski represents a Democratic-leaning but socially conservative suburban district. Cuellar is a Blue Dog member from a swing Texas district and opposes abortion rights.
The six Republicans who voted against the act were Reps. Paul Broun (GA), Rob Woodall (GA), Richard Hanna (NY), Charlie Dent (PA), Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ) and Jon Runyan (NJ).
They’re a mix of moderates who said the bill went too far in curtailing rights, including Hanna and Dent, and ultraconservatives who weren’t on board with the rape and incest exemptions.
Dent criticized his party’s leadership for focusing on abortion in a bad economy. “The stupidity is simply staggering,” he told CQ Roll Call.
Broun, meanwhile, spoke out against the rape and incest exceptions, and his vote has endeared him to pro-life activists as he eyes a Senate bid in 2014.
