BILL TO BAN MOST ABORTIONS AFTER 20 WEEKS SET FOR VOTE IN HOUSE JAN. 22

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By Hayden Parsley and Miriam Raftery

January 17, 2015 (Washington D.C.) – A bill pushed forward by the Republican majority in the House of Representatives seeks to ban abortions after 20 weeks—five months-- except in cases of rape, incest, or a serious danger to the mother.

The bill by Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona is based on arguments that contend a fetus can feel pain at this point.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stated, “"Regardless of where you stand on the broader issue, we should all agree that unborn children should be protected at least from the point that they’re capable of feeling pain.”  However, this claim is challenged by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which says there is no scientific evidence to support the belief that a 20-week fetus can feel pain.

According to Web MD, A 20-week fetus is about six inches long and weighs about 10 ounces.  At this stage it can yawn, suck its thumb and stretch.  Quickening, the first movements of the fetus, are typically felt by the mother at or shortly after the 20 week mark.

But some serious fetal abnormalities cannot be picked up by testing until the second trimester, at or close to the 20-week mark, when there is adequate development to make diagnosis possible.  An ultrasound at 18-22 weeks can reveal abnormalities in the brain, spine, heart or other organs, for example. With a growing number of states imposing waiting periods to get an abortion and abortion providers unavailable in some cities and towns, women who learn their unborn child has a serious abnormality may find it difficult to obtain a legal abortion before the 20-week mark. 

The vote will be held on January 22nd, the 42nd anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court case that established abortion rights for women up until a fetus is viable outside the womb (22 to 24 weeks), with restrictions for  later terminations. January 22nd is also the date of the March for Life, a large pro-life protest.

There are serious doubts about this bill passing the Senate however, even with a new Republican majority. When the issue came up in the last Congress, Republican Senators Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Dean Heller (Nev.) and Mark Kirk (Ill.) all voted against it.

Some Republicans in the House have doubts about the bill as well. Rep. Renee Elmers says she believes the issue may lose the party votes among younger millennial voters and urges the issue to be brought up at a later date, reports the Huffington Post. Elmers, along with five other Republican Congresswomen, also take issue with the rape exception. They maintain that it is too narrow, on the grounds that many incidents of sexual assault go unreported, and the bill only protects those who file a police report.

Many pro-choice advocates are alarmed by the bill. According to Women’s Health Policy Report, This is equivalent to overturning “Roe vs. Wade completely. Period,” says Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, or NOW. Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut states, “The role of Congress should not be to deny women a medical procedure that they have decided with their physician is the right course of action.”

Rep. Franks has great confidence in the bill passing however. He counters the notion that this will lose conservative votes from millennials as he believes most young people oppose abortion, the National Journal reports.

He also says this bill is truly about morals.  “If sincere people will simply read this bill, they will see for themselves that it represents a genuine and sincere effort to protect babies and their mothers beginning at the sixth month of gestation from one of the most tragic realities in our country.”

The National Organization for Women has urged the President to veto the bill if it passes.  NOW’s message to the president concludes, “Banning abortion doesn’t stop women from seeking the procedure – but it does make it less safe.”

 


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