South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham plans to introduce a bill that would ban abortions nationwide after 15 weeks of pregnancy, The Washington Post reports.
Graham held a press conference with Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, and other anti-abortion leaders to announce the legislation.
The bill would ban all abortions after 15 weeks except in the cases of rape and incest and when the mother’s life is threatened.
Though most people get abortions earlier in their pregnancy, most women who undergo abortions between 15 and 20 weeks tend to have fetal anomalies that are often detected during a 20-week anatomy scan, according to the Post.
Pushback:
Graham’s bill includes the nonmedical phrase “late-term abortions,” which is typically used to describe procedures after 21 weeks.
“15 weeks is not ‘late term,’ particularly given the significant challenges to access around the country,” said Christina Reynolds, a spokesperson for Emily’s List.
“I will block any efforts in the Senate to advance a nationwide abortion ban — full stop,” vowed Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. “We don’t need any more male politicians telling women what we can and can’t do with our own bodies.”
“I will never understand the Republican obsession with what goes on in your bedroom or your doctor’s office, but I do know it belongs nowhere near government. Your right to privacy is fundamental,” Virginia Rep. Gerald Connolly tweeted.
Why now?:
Graham’s move is surprising ahead of the midterms given that polls have showed a major swing toward Democrats after the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights.
“I just don’t see the momentum at the federal level,” Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall told the Post in July. “I think the legislative priority should be at the states.”
