By writing a bill with language that includes the phrase “forcible rape,” Republican men in Congress invited an irritated backlash in their effort to regulate reproductive decisions of American females. Terminology in HR 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act is the source of the controversy. Exceptions to the ban listed in the bill include "forcible rape". Under pressure for playing politics with rape, House Republicans removed the forcible rape caveat from the types of pregnancies exempt from the bill’s restrictions. There is no question that this is another cause that people will be taking out quick personal loans just to fight.
Rape does not alter by scenario
The term "forcible rape" was created for a specific reason. It was meant to make it so rape isn't a violent crime in some forms. The phrase was used in HR 3 in existing legislation. The Hyde Amendment was used to do this by Republicans. The Hyde Amendment is a provision barring the use of certain federal funds for abortions that isn’t a permanent law. Since 1976, Republicans have been attempting to attach this "rider" to spending bills. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act is an effort by House Republicans to make the Hyde Amendment everlasting. After scorching criticism from women’s groups and a widely viewed satire on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” mocking the use of the term, Republicans believed eliminating “forcible rape” from the bill would put the fire out.
HR 3 small print
The federal government currently pays for abortions for rape, incest or life-threatening illnesses. This is what the Hyde Amendment originally states. HR 3 has "forcible rape" added into it by Republicans. This was done so that cases where rape can't be proven will not go through. Republicans also wrote HR 3 to exclude statutory rape and limit exemptions for incest to minors only. There would also be problems with HR 3 and private insurance plans covering abortions. They would get taxed at a higher rate.
Nevertheless rage around HR 3
HR 3 is still getting criticized right now. Taking "forcible rape" out of it didn't help much. Abortions won't be paid for in pregnancies of women 18 or older that received incest. Any statutory rape won't be included in HR 3 still. Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, told CBS News she found it “deeply offensive” that House Republicans would delete “forcible” but leave in the language concerning incest. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said “I consider the proposal of this bill a violent act against women.” The H.R. 3 hearing starts in the coming week as a priority for House Republicans.
Articles cited
CBS News
cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20030557-503544.html
Washington Post
washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/03/AR2011020304370.html
Mother Jones
motherjones.com/mojo/2011/02/smith-caves-defining-rape-abortion
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Amendment
The Daily Show
thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-february-2-2011/rape-victim-abortion-funding?xrs=share_copy
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