Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced on Tuesday a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, the most significant proposal by Republicans in Congress to curtail the procedure since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade three months ago.
Senate Democratic candidates immediately tried to link their Republican opponents to Graham's bill, but the South Carolina Republican defended his legislation as a bulwark against late-term abortions."I think the Democrats made a huge mistake in introducing legislation in Washington that would basically allow abortion up to the moment of birth," Graham told CNN. "Now we have an alternative to that.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the GOP Whip, defended the new legislation, saying it will give GOP candidates a "place to land" as they get hammered by Democrats on the issue. He said most Republicans favor abortion restrictions, not an outright ban. Thune told CNN he supported the 15-week ban."I would expect there would be pretty good support for that among, you know, pro-life Republicans and maybe some pro-life Democrats," Thune said.
"Republicans' national abortion ban will be on the ballot, in every Senate race," said Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman. "The GOP has shown, once again, the threat they pose to a woman's right to make her own health care decisions -- and voters will make their voices heard by standing with Senate Democrats in November."