Republicans Unveil Federal Late-Term Abortion Ban

Republicans, led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), on Sept. 13 unveiled a bill that would ban many abortions at a federal level.

The bill, dubbed the Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act, is similar to another bill introduced in the Senate by Graham last year. However, it would reduce the prohibition from a 20-week ban to a 15-week ban.

The legislation seeks to balance pro-life policy goals with some exceptions and exemptions, targeting doctors who would perform illegal abortions rather than women who seek them out.

For instance, the bill establishes a new federal criminal offense for performing or attempting to perform an abortion if it is probable that the infant is 15 weeks old or older, roughly the point at which unborn children are capable of feeling pain and distress, though scientists remain divided on when exactly an infant can feel pain.

Doctors and other health professionals who violate the 15-week rule would be on the hook for a fine and as much as a five-year stint in federal prison.

However, the legislation would allow some exemptions, a concession to critics of hardline pro-life policies.

Specifically, a doctor under the bill is permitted to perform an abortion if the procedure is deemed medically necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. The text lays out certain procedures and standards physicians must follow if they are relying on one of these exemptions to perform a late-term abortion.

The bill would not target, either civilly or criminally, pregnant women who seek out an illegal abortion if the bill passed.

Graham unveiled the new bill during a Sept. 13 press conference, where he was joined by representatives from the group “Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.”

Last year, when Graham introduced the

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