Senate Democrats Block Bill Banning Late-Term Abortions

The bill would have banned abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, by which point preborn babies are capable of feeling pain.

“As was the case when the Senate considered the ban on partial-birth abortion, we have to recognize that the bill the Senate voted on today does not fit neatly into the traditional debate about whether you are “pro-life” or ‘pro-choice.’ This bill is about banning the extreme practice of late-term abortions and protecting the life of fully-formed human beings that can feel real pain”.

The Pain-capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks, has failed to reach the 60 votes it needed to proceed. “The sooner this legislation becomes law, the better”. This legislation has 45 co-sponsors in the Senate, and it passed the House by a vote of 242-184 in May of this year.

It also is indisputable that the later in pregnancy an abortion occurs, the riskier it is for the mother and the more painful it is for the child, Coats said.

“I am disappointed that the Senate has been denied the chance to consider this important bill, which is intended to protect the lives of a significant number of unborn children and has the support of the majority of Americans”, Cochran said.

Pro-life supporters have been especially focused on abortion legislation since the recent release of undercover videos that show Planned Parenthood executives discussing the costs surrounding the procurement of aborted fetal tissue.

The version the Senate just voted on contains the revised language stating that to obtain an abortion after five months, a woman must have obtained rape counseling at least 48 hours beforehand.

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski also effectively opposed the measure by not voting, along with Democrats Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray and Mark Warner. According to Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), “The message to the Pope is … there are only seven countries in the world that allow abortion this late, at five months”.

President Barack Obama has vowed to veto a bill that seeks to federally defund Planned Parenthood, arguing that the legislation would cut other health care services for women provided by the organization. “And I’d like us to not be one of them”.