Q&A on Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Pro-Life Bill

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduces bill protecting babies who can feel pain from late abortions

SBA Pro-Life America strongly supports Senator Graham’s bill. In this post we will share why. Hopefully this will be useful to you as you discuss the issues surrounding this important bill with friends and family, and in your social media. 

Question: What does Sen. Graham’s bill do?

Answer: The proposed legislation restricts late-term abortion after 15 weeks gestation. It sets a modest national ceiling on abortion which will protect the unborn in pro-abortion states like California, Illinois, and New York from gruesome and painful late-term abortions. Our Charlotte Lozier Institute estimates this bill would save 55,000 unborn lives a year. At the same time, pro-life states may continue to protect the unborn as early as their own consensus allows.

Question: Why introduce it now, before the critical midterm elections?

Answer: This legislation reflects broad political consensus, and makes clear that pro-abortion Democrats are extreme on this issue. 72% of Americans, according to a recent Harvard Harris poll, want to limit abortions by at least 15 weeks – earlier. But less than 10% of Americans support the pro-abortion Democrats’ agenda to guarantee abortion on demand until birth in every state in the country. 

Long before Sen. Graham introduced his legislation, pro-abortion advocates were spending tens of millions of campaign advertising dollars lying about what the pro-life movement advocates, and trying to convince people the pro-life movement does not care about women. Sen. Graham’s bill equips pro-life candidates with a much needed and tailor-made tool for refuting these lies by allowing them to go on offense and expose the pro-abortion extremism of their opponents. 

Question: Is there a solid legal basis for a federal role in protecting life?

Answer: Yes. The Constitution. The 14th Amendment makes clear that no state shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” It’s largely because of this constitutional call to protect our youngest Americans that 46 Republican senators  are co-sponsors of similar legislation Sen. Graham has introduced in previous years – a national limit on abortion after 20 weeks in pregnant.

Question: Why a 15-week national limit? Why not go further?

Answer: Starting with where we have broad consensus is a way to keep moving public opinion toward more protections for life. The pro-life movement keep working to inject truth into our national discourse about horror of abortion in America – which is still one of only a handful of nation’s worldwide to allow abortion well beyond the point babies feel pain, alongside China and North Korea.

Sen. Graham’s bill does just that. The more we have a national debate on life – while starting in a place most Americans agree with us – the easier it is to open new eyes to the truth about all abortions – while we save babies and moms in the process. As the truth becomes known, it will create the national consensus needed to ensure stronger protections for moms and babies within our democratic processes – both in Congress and in the states.