In a march against abortion, activists pushed for prolife policies. On the same day, the House passed a bill prohibiting federal funds from being used for abortion.
Thursday was the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe V. Wade case that legalized abortion in the United States. Thousands of protesters and activists took to the streets to participate in a march against abortion. The march, called the March for Life, took place in the Capitol. On the same day, the House voted in favor of a bill that prohibits federal funding of abortions.
"This march is part of a longer one, and our destination is clear: to secure and protect the rights of every unborn child. When there is disagreement, we should pause and listen closely. When there is movement, we should rejoice, and the House's vote to ban taxpayer funding of abortion is cause for doing so," wrote Republican House Speaker John Boehner in a statement.
In a vote of 242 to 179, the Republican majority of the House passed the bill. President Obama, however, stated earlier that he would veto any anti-abortion bill that made it to his desk. The bill, if approved, will permanently establish the Hyde amendment, which prohibits federal funds from being used for abortions.
The Republicans, however, originally planned to vote on a far more restrictive bill regarding abortion on Thursday. Under the proposed bill, women could not have abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of rape, incest, or risk of the mother's death. The GOP was divided on the bill and withdrew their decision to vote on it. The Republicans who were against the bill, many of whom were women, claimed that the bill placed extreme limits on women and would be unpopular with the American people.
"There was a lot of discussion in our retreat [last week] about this and some of the new people did not want to make this the first bill they voted on because the millennials have a little bit of a different take on it," Republican Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida told Time. "But you will see it come back because the American people agree with it two to one. It's a hideous practice. It needs to stop," he said.
Though many Republicans are upset about the original bill being pulled from a vote, the passing of Thursday's bill reflects the GOP's intent to push for "pro-life" policies.
