GOP Senator proposes abortion ban ahead of midterms [Video]

• Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham proposed a legislation seeking a nationwide ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with minimal exceptions.
• Graham made the proposal even as fellow Republicans tried to avoid extreme anti-abortion views in an effort to keep votes.
• Recent polls have shown that voters were less likely to support candidates who advocated for a strict abortion ban.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) proposed a new bill that seeks to ban abortions nationwide.

Graham’s proposed legislation aims for a nationwide ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with minimal exceptions.

The South Carolina senator made the announcement on Tuesday, just two months ahead of the midterm elections, even as fellow Republicans tried to steer clear of extreme anti-abortion views in an effort to keep votes.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Sept. 7-12, around 63% of respondents were less likely to vote for candidates who advocated for an abortion ban or had severely strict views against abortion.

Graham previously introduced a similar bill which sought to ban abortions after 20 weeks. The current bill is stricter as it bans abortion after 15 weeks, but has exceptions for incest, rape, or risks to the mother’s life and health.

The bill is not likely to go anywhere in the Congress, which is currently controlled by Democrats.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called out Graham for suggesting a “MAGA” measure. He stated, “Proposals like the one today send a clear message from MAGA Republicans to women across the country: your body, our choice.”

Abortion has become a subject of contention following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that protected women’s rights to abortion for nearly half a century.

State officials scrambled in the aftermath of the ruling, with Democrat-controlled states making sure to protect abortion rights and GOP-run states enforcing state-level abortion bans.

Democrats have been banking on the abortion issue for election gains, while some Republicans, including Senate hopeful Blake Masters in Arizona, were forced to soften their views.

In a special election in the House last month, Democrat Pat Ryan defeated a Republican rival after focusing on abortion issues during his campaign. In conservative Kansas, an effort to remove abortion protections from the state constitution was overwhelmingly rejected by voters.

Republicans are poised to take back the House in the midterms, but could struggle to retake the Senate. GOP candidates still struggle in key swing states such as Arizona, Georgia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

Source: Aol.com