GOP Lawmaker to Revise Anti-Abortion Bill 'Misconstrued' as Limiting Rape Exception
A burgeoning controversy over the definition of rape in abortion policy has prompted a Republican congressman to assure critics that his bill meant to permanently prevent taxpayer dollars from funding abortions would not exclude any rape victims from federal coverage.
The "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," introduced late last month by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., has generated heated criticism from advocacy groups who say the legislative language makes it possible to exclude everything from date rape to statutory rape.