(The Guardian) This will be the sixth time Republican senator Lindsey Graham has introduced his national abortion ban in Congress, only now, the South Carolina lawmaker has made it even more strict.
Previous versions of the bill have outlawed abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but Graham is now expected to propose a ban that takes effect after 15 weeks. That would align federal law with Florida, which outlaws the procedure after the same period of time, with some medical exceptions.
The GOP is in an uncertain spot when it comes to such legislation. Data has shown an increase in women registering to vote after the supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in June and allowed states to outlaw abortion, while in Republican-dominated Kansas, voters there resoundingly rejected an attempt to lay the groundwork for a statewide ban. It’s also worth remembering that Graham proposed his national abortion ban during a period when Republicans controlled both Congress and the White House, and it didn’t pass then.
Yet outlawing the procedure retains a strong constituency within the Republican party. After Roe was overturned, former vice-president Mike Pence called for a national ban, while Graham’s measure we co-sponsored by most Republican senators when it was last introduced.
Previous versions of the bill have outlawed abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, but Graham is now expected to propose a ban that takes effect after 15 weeks. That would align federal law with Florida, which outlaws the procedure after the same period of time, with some medical exceptions.
The GOP is in an uncertain spot when it comes to such legislation. Data has shown an increase in women registering to vote after the supreme court overturned Roe v Wade in June and allowed states to outlaw abortion, while in Republican-dominated Kansas, voters there resoundingly rejected an attempt to lay the groundwork for a statewide ban. It’s also worth remembering that Graham proposed his national abortion ban during a period when Republicans controlled both Congress and the White House, and it didn’t pass then.
Yet outlawing the procedure retains a strong constituency within the Republican party. After Roe was overturned, former vice-president Mike Pence called for a national ban, while Graham’s measure we co-sponsored by most Republican senators when it was last introduced.
