Banning Abortions of Pain-Capable Unborn Children

Description

This bill, known as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, makes it unlawful to abort pain-capable unborn children. The bill states that unborn children are pain-capable at 20 weeks of pregnancy and provides exceptions if the abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother or if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest. At this stage in a pregnancy, unborn babies react to touch, are fully formed and have beating hearts and functional brains. ACU believes abortion is a human tragedy, supports restrictions on the practice and supported this bill. The motion to invoke cloture (end debate) and advance the bill failed on January 29, 2018 by a vote of 51-46. (Sixty votes were required on legislation and a "Yes" vote supported the ACU position.)