A group of U.S. Senate Democrats reintroduced legislation Wednesday that would force every state to legalize the killing of unborn babies for basically any reason up to birth.
Nicknamed the Abortion Without Limits Up to Birth Act by pro-life advocates, the bill would “guarantee access to abortion everywhere” in the United States, according to Democrats’ press release.
“Abortion is health care. Period,” said U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, one of the lead sponsors. “We must pass my Women’s Health Protection Act because millions of women’s rights and freedoms are depending on it.”
Other lead sponsors include retiring U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut. Joe Biden previously has expressed support for the legislation as well.
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Democrat leaders and many mainstream news outlets have portrayed the bill as an effort to simply “codify the right to an abortion” in response to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. But pro-life leaders warn it would go beyond Roe and get rid of almost all laws that protect unborn babies.
Bans on sex-selection abortions and taxpayer-funded abortions would be gone if the bill passes. Laws that protect women and girls could be eliminated, too, including parental consent for minors and informed consent laws that ensure mothers receive facts about abortion risks and their unborn baby’s development before going through with an abortion.
All of these, in the views of pro-abortion Democrat lawmakers, restrict a woman’s “fundamental right” to abort her unborn baby.
“When the Supreme Court struck down a woman’s fundamental right to abortion health care, it didn’t stop women from needing that care,” Feinstein said in a statement. “Some women can no longer receive abortion services, and for others abortion care has become much more dangerous, unnecessarily putting their health at risk. Our bill would codify the protections of Roe, ensuring that all women have access to a safe, legal abortion in the United States.”
Blumenthal was even more hyperbolic in his comment, describing the life-saving Dobbs v. Jackson ruling as a “death sentence” for women because, in some states, elective abortions are now banned.
Pro-life advocates believe the Dobbs ruling already has saved tens of thousands of unborn babies’ lives, and every state abortion ban protects women’s health, too. Currently, 14 states protect unborn babies by strictly limiting or banning abortions, and more are fighting in court to do the same.
According to the Democrat lawmakers, the Women’s Health Protection Act would:
- Prohibit states from imposing restrictions that jeopardize access to abortion earlier in pregnancy, including many of the state-level restrictions in place prior to Dobbs, such as arbitrary waiting periods, medically unnecessary mandatory ultrasounds, or requirements to provide medically inaccurate information.
- Ensure that later in pregnancy, states cannot limit access to abortion if it would jeopardize the life or health of the mother.
- Protect the ability to travel out of state for an abortion, which has become increasingly common in recent years.
However, pro-life leaders say the bill really would force taxpayers to fund abortions, end bans on late-term abortions on viable unborn babies, eliminate parental consent for minors and informed consent requirements for every woman seeking an abortion, and force doctors and nurses to lose their jobs and Catholic hospitals potentially to lose public funds unless they perform elective abortions.
Numerous past attempts to pass the bill have failed in Congress, and polls consistently show that a strong majority of Americans oppose such extreme pro-abortion legislation.
A Marist College poll in January found 69 percent of Americans want abortions banned or limited. Additionally, 60 percent oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortions. LifeNews recently highlighted 25 polls that show public support for pro-life laws.
