comments_image Comments           Because the bill makes the
Hyde Amendment (which currently requires renewal every year)
permanent, supporters are ignoring the rape language change and
say it “largely codifies what has already been in practice”
since 1976. As TPM notes, the pro-life community, “which is
usually more than willing to sound off on abortion and what
needs to be done to stop it,” has been “radio silent.” Smith,
the bill sponsor, who lauds the bill’s “comprehensive approach”
in restricting victim’s rights, refused to address the issue of
forcible rape.  While this is not the first time anti-abortion
lawmakers have attempted to pass the forcible rape language,
there is probably a good reason the pro-life network has stayed
mum. An overwhelming number of Americans believe abortion should
be a choice when a woman is the victim of rape or incest. In a
poll taken 30 years after the Roe v. Wade decision, 81
percent of Americans believed abortion should be legal in cases
of rape or incest. The visceral a