The Senate is set to vote today on a ban on abortions after 20 weeks. While it’s unlikely to pass, Senate Republicans want to put pressure on Democrats from red states like Missouri and North Dakota who have opposed the bill despite strong support for the legislation in their states.
Most of the big wins for the anti-abortion movement have come in the House, where Republicans have already passed the 20-week abortion ban and Planned Parenthood defunding, and in the Trump administration, which recently rolled back ObamaCare’s contraception mandate.
So the 2018 midterms are critical for anti-abortion groups and Republicans looking to pass more bills through Congress, including the ban.
“It’s just a matter of time until we get 60 votes,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham(R-S.C.), the sponsor of the Senate bill.
“We’re going to get the country where it needs to be on this issue.”
Seventeen states already ban abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy, according to the Guttmacher Institute.