Led by Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, Senate Republicans are set to introduce a bill for a nationwide ban on abortion later on Tuesday, according to multiple reports.
The bill, titled “Protecting pain-capable unborn children from late-term abortions act”, will aim to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. It is expected to be introduced Tuesday by Graham with support from several Republican senators.
The proposal is an updated version of the previous bill of the same name that restricted abortion access for women after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The earlier bill cited fetuses being capable of feeling pain at 20 weeks as a reason for banning abortion access. But the matter remains scientifically contentious.
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Graham, who has repeatedly pushed for anti-abortion policies, will be addressing a press conference on Tuesday at midday to unveil his updated bill.
Since the controversial overturning of the Roe v Wade ruling by the US Supreme Court, Republicans have been pushing for more restrictive laws nationwide.
Earlier in August, Indiana became the first state to pass new legislation imposing a near-total ban on abortions since the ruling. However, some red states, like Kansas, have pushed back. A referendum on the issue in the state led to the retention of some abortion rights.
The abortion debate has emerged as a central issue in the upcoming midterm elections as GOP candidates with staunch anti-abortion stances have pushed for more restrictions.
A survey by the Pew Research Center conducted in August found that 56 percent of women said the issue of abortion will be “very important” to them at the polls this fall, marking a significant increase from 43 percent in March.
Sen. Lindsey Graham R-SC will unveil an updated bill on abortion at a news conference. His original bill by the same name banned abortions after 20 weeks (there were exceptions for life of the mother, rape, and incest). It's reported the new version may be 15 weeks. pic.twitter.com/AAzpGFBFUR
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) September 13, 2022
