Senator Graham Introduces Federal Abortion Ban

Maureen Lynch, Editor in Chief

On Tuesday, September 13, Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina) introduced a bill to Congress that would ban abortion at 15 weeks in a woman’s pregnancy. The bill comes as many Americans are feeling tension because of strong feelings on the overturning of Roe v. Wade this past summer. 

If Graham’s bill were to be passed, abortion would be banned at a federal level at the 15 week mark, with the exception of rape, inscest, or the life and health of the mother. 

The bill has caused a divide in the Republican party, as federal abortion bans have not been part of their party platform. Although a lot of Republicans agree with not allowing abortions at this stage in a woman’s pregnancy, their policies are that abortion bans should be decided by individual states. However, according to an article from The Hill, Graham believes that abortion is “not a states rights issue”, and thus going against his party. 

The overturning of Roe v. Wade gave power back to the states to decide on when abortion should be banned, if at all, which is why both sides of the aisle are questioning Graham’s proposed bill. Additionally, some of the criticism from Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican-Kentucky), is that the bill was proposed just two months before the midterm elections. 

Republicans are hoping to retake the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the issue of abortion can be the deciding factor for some voters on which party they vote for. 

According to a May 2022 Gallup Poll, 55% of Americans consider themselves to be pro-choice, while 39% of Americans consider themselves to be pro-life. However, a sub-poll conducted with both pro-choice and pro-life people found that more than half of the country believed in some restrictions on abortion. The poll found that 55% of Americans believed in abortion being illegal in the second trimester, and 71% of Americans believed in it being illegal in the last trimester. Overall, the country is very divided on this issue, but there is more common ground than people think. 

It is very unlikely that Graham’s bill will pass in Congress, as the Republican party is currently in the minority in both houses. Republicans do have the possibility of taking back one, or even both houses of Congress in November, but with the timing of this bill’s proposal it won’t reach the next Congress. Abortion continues to divide the nation, and Senator Graham’s proposed bill is dividing parties furtheon the issue.