Report: GOP abortion platform doesn't include rape exception

Republicans are drafting an abortion platform that calls for a federal ban without exceptions for rape and incest, according to CNN.

CNN obtained a draft of the abortion language being written by the GOP platform committee ahead of next week's convention.

The abortion plank calls for a "human life amendment" to the Constitution — which would say unborn children have "a fundamental individual right to life" and would not make exceptions for rape or incest, CNN reported Monday.

Republicans adopted the same positions in at least the past three presidential campaigns.

The lack of a rape exception could prove controversial in light of Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) recent statement that women's bodies can block a pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape."

Republicans at the national level are pressuring Akin to withdraw from Missouri's Senate race, but Democrats have noted that he's not the only Republican to oppose abortion rights even in cases of rape. GOP vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has also opposed abortion rights, including in cases of rape and incest.

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said he opposes abortion rights except in cases of rape and incest. But he has also indicated that he supports the controversial "personhood" approach, which would define life as beginning at the moment of fertilization. Such a definition would restrict access not only to abortion, but also some forms of contraception and procedures like in vitro fertilization.

— This post was updated at 12:51 p.m.

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