It’s never easy for pro-lifers, but it’s particularly frustrating when one of our own plays into the enemy’s hands.
Or maybe supposedly pro-life Republican Congresswoman Renee Ellmers has become a pro-choice mole.
Whatever, from Politico this afternoon comes this disheartening news:
A group of female GOP lawmakers is trying to pressure the Republican leadership team to make changes to a 20-week abortion ban the House is set to vote on next week.
Led by Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina, the lawmakers are protesting language that requires a rape victim to formally report her assault to police to qualify for an exemption from the legislation’s abortion restrictions….
The Justice Department estimates that only 32% of rape victims report their rapes to authorities.
A Republican staffer involved in the discussion said at least six lawmakers had raised the issue with Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) during a closed-door meeting Tuesday. The senior-level aide said the Republican lawmakers argue that enacting a ban with only a formal exemption could further dissuade rape victims from coming forward.
The lawmakers, the staffer said, are aggressively pressing Scalise to rewrite the bill to include a broader exemption for victims of sexual assault before the bill comes to the floor next week.
Lovely of Rep. Ellmers to hand the other side talking points on a silver platter. Politico again, quoting two key members of the House Pro-Choice Caucus:
Democrats quickly criticized the proposed legislation.
Reps. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) said it was “unconscionable” to force rape victims to formally report the rape before seeking an abortion.
“Forcing women to go on-the-record about such a traumatic experience as a prerequisite to getting help is unconscionable, and adds to the pain of women who are survivors of rape or incest,” the two Democrats said in a statement.
Right, we certainly wouldn’t want to encourage victims to report their rapes, so their perpetrators might be stopped from terrorizing them again, or other girls and women.
And women would never lie about being raped. Ask Rolling Stone about that. Or Duke.
According to National Journal, Ellmers added a second beef:
In a closed-door open-mic session of House Republicans, Rep. Renee Ellmers… [said] she believes the bill will cost the party support among millennials, according to several sources in the room.
“I have urged leadership to reconsider bringing it up next week.… We got into trouble last year, and I think we need to be careful again; we need to be smart about how we’re moving forward,” Ellmers said in an interview. “The first vote we take, or the second vote, or the fifth vote, shouldn’t be on an issue where we know that millennials—social issues just aren’t as important [to them].”
Erick Erickson is calling Ellmers “a lying waste of oxygen” over this among many other flip flops:
Just as the GOP has decided to stand firm on a piece of legislation supported by +60% of the nation, she’s scared people won’t like her.
That’s right. The “pro-life” congresswoman now claims that putting pro-life legislation on the floor of the House of Representatives would be a terrible, awful thing to do.
She lied about her immigration position. Now she’s lying about her pro-life position.
The other side loves this chink in the heretofore united Republican front on the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act….
Rep. Ellmers’ number is 202-225-4531, if you’d like to call her and tell her thanks for nothing and back off.
by Hans Johnson
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.