House GOP closes ranks on abortion

Barring a major upset, next year there won’t be a single House Republican who supports abortion rights.

By JENNIFER HABERKORN and DIDI MARTINEZ 06/28/2018 05:05 AM EDT

Republicans who support abortion rights have long been an endangered species in the House of Representatives. But next year, the rare breed will finally be extinct.

The retirements of Reps. Charlie Dent and Rodney Frelinghuysen mark the end of the line for abortion rights supporters in the Republican Conference. And there’s no GOP nominee in a competitive race who backs abortion rights this year, according to abortion interest groups and party officials, which will leave Congress more polarized on the issue than at any time since Roe v. Wade — all of it with a bruising Supreme Court nomination on the horizon.

Democrats have a slightly larger tent on the issue of abortion — but only slightly. In the House, there are three remaining members who vote against abortion rights to varying degree: Reps. Dan Lipinski, Collin Peterson and Henry Cuellar.

The elimination of the last House GOP members to support abortion rights stands to have far-reaching effects, ranging from intensifying the partisan battles around government spending to making it significantly harder for those who hold moderate positions on abortion to get elected to Congress — from either party. As long as one party is in lockstep on the issue, the pressure will mount on the other to follow.

“The issue was put into so many bills and it became such a deep belief system of the Republican Party,” said former Rep. Richard Hanna, a New York Republican who supported abortion rights and retired in 2016. “They all jumped on board because they know fighting it doesn’t pay. You can’t win. I certainly couldn’t.”

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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/28/house-republicans-abortion-rights-680629