On the 42nd anniversary of the controversial Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, intra-party divide among Republicans inhibited a strict anti-abortion bill from reaching the House, illustrating growing instability within the GOP.

The bill, proposed Jan. 21, would have banned abortions for women 20 weeks or further into their pregnancies. Those performing abortions would have been subject to fines or a prison sentence for up to five years.

The bill was dropped due to reported opposition by approximately two dozen Republicans, the majority of whom were women, the Washington Post reported.

Feminist Club co-founder junior Jadie Stillwell sees this bill’s failure as an enormous step in women’s rights.

“I think that Republican women standing up against a Republican bill is huge and definitely makes it clear that this is a women’s issue, not just a political one, because it crosscuts party lines and ideologies-,” Stillwell said.

The bill’s primary co-sponsor, Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) released a statement regarding the decision to remove the bill.

“While I am disappointed we were not able to complete our work on this important piece of legislation this week, I am appreciative of the Members who brought their concerns to me,” she said. “I agree with the National Right to Life that it was better to delay the vote than to pass a greatly weakened bill.”

House Republicans did pass a watered-down version of the bill Jan. 22, banning the use of tax dollars for abortion. Yet this does not appear to be a progressive step for the GOP, considering the House passed that same law nearly one year ago but ultimately met rejection by the Senate.

Maryland congressman Chris Van Hollen remains in opposition to the passed bill.

“I have the utmost respect for the different views held by individuals on this very important and sensitive issue,” Van Hollen told the Black & White. “I oppose this bill because it would undermine women’s health and the right to choose, intrude into the relationship between a woman and her doctor, and is in direct violation of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade. I will continue to support efforts to protect women’s health and the right to choose while increasing access to adoption and support services.”

While the annual marches of furious pro-life advocates took place as expected on the Roe v. Wade anniversary, the opposition within the GOP suggests a possible shift in the traditional values of a historically conservative party.

NARAL released the following statement Jan. 21:

“I never thought I would see the day that the Tea Party-led House of Representatives would wake up to the fact that their priorities—outright abortion bans—are way out of touch with the American people. The GOP drafted a bill so extreme and so out of touch with the voters that even their own membership could not support it,” it said.

This original bill offered exceptions for rape victims or minors of incest, but the Republican opposition argues such victims may be too fearful to report their sexual dehumanization and should not be penalized by law, contrary to traditional beliefs that abortion is never the answer.

Sophomore Ari Gutman says abortion should be a legal action in all states.

“Abortion is completely up the mother unless the parents are married in which case it should be up to the two parents,” Gutman said.

Anti-abortion advocates such as the pro-life Action League expressed disappointment in the act’s defeat.

“We believe all babies should be protected from abortion,” staffer John Jansen told the Black & White. “We’re still hopeful that within the next few weeks that legislation will be passed.”

As 2016 presidential campaigns begin to circulate, some believe that the opposition to the bill was a manifestation of female voter efficacy and support rather than a fundamental shift in anti-abortion values, FOX News reported.

With Republicans like Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) and Rep. Charles Dent (R-PA) speaking out about the need for human compassion and the complexity of banning abortion, some suggest 2015 may be the beginning of a dynamic shift in social values within the GOP.