DShortly before the congressional elections, US Republicans are pushing ahead with an attempt to legislate for a nationwide restriction on abortion. Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a bill on Tuesday that would ban abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. “That should be the standard in America,” Graham said at a press conference. He has the support of colleagues for the draft. The push currently has no prospects of success because the Republicans in Congress do not have enough votes. However, this could change after the elections in November.
The White House sharply criticized the draft, calling it “extreme”. Graham’s bill does not provide for the far-reaching abortion bans in conservative-governed states to be lifted.
By the end of June, a 1973 US Supreme Court ruling secured the right to abortion – abortions were legal nationwide at least until the fetus was viable. That decision was overturned by the right-wing majority of the court in a historic decision. As a result, state legislatures or Congress can legislate whether and how abortion is permitted or prohibited.
patchwork of regulations
Since there is as yet no national abortion law in the USA, a patchwork of regulations has emerged in the states. Abortion is now largely banned in many conservative-governed countries. Both Democrats and Republicans are now trying to legislate on abortion nationwide. The Democrats want to protect the right to abortions nationwide – a corresponding bill was passed by the House of Representatives in July, but does not have the necessary majority in the Senate.
Graham’s bill, on the other hand, would not create a right to an abortion up to the 15th week of pregnancy. “Nothing in this section shall be construed to override or limit any federal, state or local regulation that provides greater protections to an unborn child than those provided in this section,” it said. This means that stricter rules than provided for in the draft are likely to remain in states. States with more liberal laws, on the other hand, would have to restrict abortion rights.
Exceptions for crimes and medical problems
The draft law provides for exceptions after the 15th week of pregnancy in cases of rape and incest or if the life of the mother is threatened. Graham justified this point in time by saying that fetuses then feel pain. His proposal is seen as an attempt to unite moderate and conservative Republicans behind one position before the important congressional elections. Conservatives in his party have repeatedly agreed on a nationwide ban on abortion.
Still, the timing of Graham’s push is unusual. Critical voices about the draft have already come from the party. According to polls, a majority of the US population rejects the Supreme Court ruling that overturned abortion rights nationwide. The Democrats are therefore trying to use the issue to mobilize voters in the congressional elections. The Republican Party, on the other hand, has recently been publicly reticent on the subject of abortion.
