House Speaker John Boehner

Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the most “far-reaching ban on abortion” ever, a bill that also easily becomes the most serious assault on “women’s constitutional right to choose.” Hundreds of hours were spent by the lower house in an effort that will surely end in demise at the Senate. Meanwhile, important legislation aimed at addressing the country’s economic problems were held at bay.

The House abortion bill changes federal law and challenges the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Ruling. The bill would ban abortion after a fetus has reached 20 weeks. Entitled the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (sponsors of the bill claimed that fetuses can feel pain after 20 weeks),” the bill was approved by the House today (June 18, 2013). Roe v. Wade legalized abortion up to 24 weeks into a pregnancy.

The time-consuming, distracting House bill will be ignored by the Senate and by President Obama. House Republicans knew from the start that their abortion bill has no chance of becoming law. And even if it became law, it would run into mountains of successful lawsuits challenging its validity.

So what was the point? Obstruction, as usual – Republicans have very little appetite in taking up business that would help promote jobs and solve economic problems. They appear to be hell-bent into ensuring that the administration fails so that they could validate the platform that doomed them in the last presidential election.