U.S. SENATE —U.S. Senator Steve Daines joined Senators Lindsey Graham (SC), James Lankford (OK), Joni Ernst (IA) and Roy Blunt (MO) in sending Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a letter, urging him to announce his commitment to bring the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to the floor for a vote in the near future. The announcement would coincide with today’s 45th Annual March for Life.
The legislation would prohibit abortion after 20 weeks—the point at which scientific evidence shows that unborn children can feel pain. The United States is currently one of only seven countries in the world that permit elective abortion after 20 weeks. Polling numbers show the majority of Americans support a ban on abortion at this stage of pregnancy.
“We must fight for the most vulnerable in our society: the elderly, the disabled and the unborn,” said Daines. “They don’t have a vote in Washington, D.C. Their right to life is protected by our Constitution and is part of the framework of the Declaration of Independence and because of that we must speak up.”
Daines has long worked to protect society’s most vulnerable:
Yesterday, Daines joined colleagues on the Senate floor, urging the swift passage of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
Last Congress, Daines helped introduce the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
In the House, Daines was a cosponsor of the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and actively urged for Senate passage in the 113th Congress.
The full text of the letter is below:
Tomorrow, hundreds of thousands of Americans from across the country will gather in Washington to take part in the 45th Annual March for Life. To coincide with the march, we write to respectfully request that you publicly announce your plans for a Senate vote on S. 2311, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
As you know, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act would prohibit abortion after 20 weeks—the point at which scientific evidence shows that unborn children can feel pain. The United States is currently one of only seven countries in the world that permit elective abortion after 20 weeks. Polling numbers consistently show that the majority of Americans support a ban on abortion at this stage of pregnancy; these Americans no longer want to keep the company of countries like China and North Korea.
Twenty states have already passed legislation protecting unborn children beginning at 20 weeks of pregnancy. As pro-life marchers from every corner of our nation come to Washington this week, it is important that we announce a vote on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. A vote would make our constituents immediately aware of the members of Congress who support elective late-term abortions and oppose extending legal protection to pain-capable unborn children nationwide.
Enclosed please find a letter from the leaders of pro-life organizations who represent millions of individuals and families across the country, voicing their support for a vote on this bill. We are all grateful for your pro-life leadership, and we look forward to seeing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act receive consideration on the Senate floor soon.
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