Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) indicated on Tuesday that he is not on board with fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s bill to ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
“With regard to his bill, you’ll have to ask him about it,” McConnell said referring to Graham. “In terms of scheduling, I think most of the members of my conference prefer that this be dealt with at the state level.”
At a press conference earlier on Tuesday with anti-abortion groups, Graham said elected officials, including Congress should have the power to regulate abortion despite previously saying the issue of abortion should be left up to states. He promised the bill would have a vote if Republicans take back the House and Senate after the midterms.
“If we take back the House and the Senate, I can assure you we’ll have a vote,” Graham said. “If the Democrats are in charge, I don’t know if we’ll ever have a vote.”
The bill is a more restrictive version of the Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act, introduced by Graham last year that banned abortions at 20 weeks. The bill allows for exceptions in the case of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother and subject doctors who violate the ban to serve sentences of up to five years in prison.
