South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham on Tuesday proposed a federal ban on all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The move comes just weeks after Senator Mitch McConnell said Republicans were unlikely to propose a nationwide ban like the one Senator Graham just introduced. The New York Times reports, and months after the Supreme Court voted 6 to 3 to strike down the constitutional right to abortion.
The bill proposed by Senator Graham, the “Protection of Unborn Children Capable of Pain from Late Abortions Act” (a crude and misleading name at the same time) would aim to end so-called late abortions, which is not a thing. The term « has no medical or clinical significance, » according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG); instead, it’s a phrase peddled by politicians and other bad actors who seek to limit access to essential health care and bodily autonomy.
In January 2021, Senator Graham attempted to pass a ban on abortion after 20 weeks— despite the fact that approximately six out of 10 Americans believe abortion should be legal in most or all cases, but 15 weeks is even more extreme.
The overwhelming majority of abortions, including those performed after 15 weeks, are safe, the ACOG Remarks. In fact, people who undergo an abortion procedure 15 to 23 weeks into their pregnancy don’t even need to stay in the hospital overnight. When a person is 15 weeks pregnant, the fetus is not fully developed. Ultimately, the health of the pregnant person is important and they should have a say in what happens to their own body. As ACOG ratings, the ban on abortion may force some people to carry a pregnancy to term even if it poses a significant risk to their well-being. In addition to endangering the health of pregnant women, banning abortion can also criminalize doctors and other healthcare workers who provide essential, potentially life-saving services.
Senator Graham’s bill is partly aimed at rallying his party around the issue ahead of the midterm elections in November, even though the anti-abortion legislation is hugely unpopular and has led to record registration and turnout election in Kansas in August, where people made it clear they wanted to keep abortion legal and accessible.
