Bill proposes no abortions after 15 weeks
WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina introduced legislation Tuesday that would institute a federal ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, reigniting debate on an issue the GOP has worked to confront before midterm elections in which abortion rights have become a potent issue.
There is no chance that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., would allow such a bill to receive a vote in the chamber, where his party has been focused on preserving abortion access after the Supreme Court’s ruling in June ending the constitutional right to abortion.
And the proposal quickly divided Republicans, splitting their leaders and reflecting the difficult politics of abortion for the party in the wake of the court’s decision.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky who has said his party was unlikely to pursue an abortion ban, told reporters Tuesday that he thought the issue should be left up to the states and that most members of his conference agreed.
Graham’s proposal appeared to be an effort to find a politically palatable position for Republicans after the court’s decision that could insulate them from a voter backlash, even as GOPled states enact bans on nearly all abortions.
But it also accomplished something that many Republicans have sought to avoid, highlighting for voters that their choice in November is between supporting a Democratic majority that wants to preserve abortion access and handing control of Congress to Republicans who are seeking to ban the procedure.
The court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has galvanized Democrats on one of the most charged issues in U.S. politics and underscored for Republicans the political risks of their long-standing opposition to abortion rights.
Graham’s bill, which would prohibit doctors from performing the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy, appeared to be an effort to appease the most conservative Republicans, who want to sharply restrict access to abortions or ban them outright, while also trying to appeal to those in the party who want to impose more modest limits.
A recent Pew Research Center poll showed that 61 percent of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, although the same poll also showed that the partisan divide on the issue has grown over the past two decades.