If you thought the Republicans were simply going to bow to outrage over their attempts to narrow the definition of rape to "forcible rape" for abortion law, think again.
Through the use of a committee report Republicans have reintroduced the statutory (and other) rape exclusions to H.R. 3, otherwise known as the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act." A committee report is a document that congressional committees produce outlining their intent behind a particular piece of legislation. While not binding law, committee reports are instructive looks into legislative intent and can serve as a persuasive authority for courts who must parse such intent when a bill gets challenged.
The committee report for H.R. 3 says that the bill will "not allow the Federal Government to subsidize abortions in cases of statutory rape." So despite the fact that the language of H.R. 3 does not say that explicitly, that's exactly what Republicans intend the bill to do.
Republicans insist their efforts change nothing since current law (the Hyde Amendment) already prevents Medicaid from paying for abortions in cases of statutory rape. The problem is, Hyde does not make any distinction between statutory rape or any other kind of rape and the only evidence Republicans have offered to the contrary is their own testimony.
Hyde clearly states that there are two times when Medicaid funds can be used to pay for an abortion and those are in cases of rape or incest. States interpreting Hyde have never made a carve-out for rape cases that were "forced" and those that were "consensual." But that is exactly what Republicans are trying to do.
http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-rights/blog/republicans-re-introduce-forcible-rape/
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