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The Republican-led House approved the bill by a largely
party-line vote of 242-184. An earlier version was pulled by
House Republican leaders in January after a revolt by some
Republican women in the chamber.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte called
Wednesday's vote "a victory for the most innocent and
defenseless among us, our children."
"Extensive medical research shows that unborn children begin to
feel pain by 20 weeks post fertilization, and probably earlier,"
the Virginia Republican said.
The bill, called the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,
faces an uncertain fate in the Senate. White House spokesman
Josh Earnest said on Wednesday the Obama administration
continued to strongly oppose the bill.
“It's disgraceful that House Republicans would be considering a
party-line vote on a piece of legislation that would continue to
impose even additional harsh burdens on survivors of sexual
assault, rape and incest,” Earnest told a White House briefing
before Wednesday's vote.
The Center for Reproductive Rights called the bill "cruel and
unconstitutional," saying it contained exceptions only for women
with life-threatening conditions, rape survivors who have gotten
medical care or counseling at least 48 hours before seeking an
abortion, and minors who reported rape or incest to law
enforcement or child protection agencies.
(Reporting by Peter Cooney; Editing by Eric Beech)
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