House Republicans abruptly abandoned their plan to debate a bill restricting abortion rights due to numerous objections from female party members and lawmakers. The bill, known as H.R. 36, would have outlawed abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Several exceptions to the rule would have been allowed. However, working out just what those exceptions would be led to the initiative’s collapse.

The debate over the details of the bill was so intense that staff members were asked to leave the meeting room to allow lawmakers to discuss the issue privately. Representative Jim McGovern (Democrat, Massachusetts) said Republicans suffered a “meltdown”.

The cause of contention was over who should be allowed to have a late-term abortion and who should be banned.

The original wording of the bill stated, in the case of rape, only women who reported the rape to the police would be allowed to have an abortion. This clause was objected to on the grounds that a woman may be too distressed or too afraid of reprisals to report the incident to the police. “The issue becomes, we’re questioning the woman’s word,” said Representative Renee Ellmers (Republican, North Carolina). “We have to be compassionate to women when they’re in a crisis situation.”

There was also heated debate over what to do in the case of incest. The bill allowed late-term abortions for victims of incest under the age of 18. Some Republicans objected, feeling that the exemption should apply to all ages. “So the exception would apply to a 16-year-old but not a 19-year-old?” said Representative Charles Dent (Republican, Pennsylvania). “I mean, incest is incest.”

Late Wednesday night, after hours of debate, the bill was shelved indefinitely. “There’s some that want the exemptions taken out entirely; there’s some that want some changes in the exemptions,” said Representative Trent Franks (Republican, Arizona), a sponsor of the bill. “We’ve tried to reach the consensus the best we can here and I don’t know what more we can do.” In an interview, Franks had predicted the measure would pass overwhelmingly.

The Republican Party has been in disarray since taking control of both the House and the Senate. Party members are spilt between those who wish to take a hardline on social issues and those who wish to appeal to centrists and a broader range of demographics.