Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) will unveil a new attempt at regulating abortion nationally Tuesday when he and activists introduce a likely 15-week ban.
The “Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act” is expected to call for a sweeping ban on abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, and safeguarding the life of the mother, according to NBC News. While the bill has little chance of passing in the Democratic-controlled Senate, it offers Republicans a middle-ground stance on abortion in the midterm elections, should candidates choose to adopt it, as Democrats benefit from a groundswell of enthusiasm following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June.
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Graham has previously backed national abortion legislation that would have banned the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy and included exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.
“I don’t believe abortion, five months into pregnancy, makes us a better nation,” the South Carolina senator said in 2021. “America is at her best when she’s standing up for the least among us, and the sooner we pass this legislation into law, the better. We are on the right side of history.”
The odds of getting 60 senators on board, even in a Senate with a slim GOP majority next year, are very small. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has signaled that he would not consider removing the filibuster for abortion legislation should Republicans retake the upper chamber in November.
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Voters in deep-red Kansas rejected a ballot measure that would have removed the right to abortion from the state constitution, casting doubt on the road forward for the anti-abortion movement now that regulating the procedure has returned to the state level. Meanwhile, Democrats are fundraising on apparent grassroots enthusiasm on the pro-abortion rights side.
