Senator Graham has not introduced a plea for an abortion ban yet.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has regularly proposed federal legislation to ban abortions in each of the past five full sessions of Congress dating back to 2013. However, this year marks the first time he has not introduced such legislation.

Throughout the past decade, he has pushed for legislation to ban abortions at 20 weeks, except in 2022 when he scaled it back to 15 weeks just before that year’s midterm elections, as reported by NBC News.

In December, Senator Graham mentioned that he had not yet considered filing the abortion ban legislation, citing ongoing Senate negotiations on Ukraine aid and immigration. However, he stated that he plans to introduce it next year.

As of last week, Senator Graham’s office has not provided any updates on his intentions to introduce an abortion ban this year. The office of Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., who has supported the bill in the House, did not respond to inquiries from NBC News.

The absence of an abortion bill proposal from Senator Graham this year could indicate that Republicans feel more empowered to restrict access to abortion following the 2022 Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

Senator Mike Braun, R-Ind., who endorsed Graham’s 20-week ban in 2021, stated that there is little point in bringing up the issue in the current congressional session since the Supreme Court ruling has shifted the focus back to states’ rights. Additionally, Braun expressed doubts about the legislation passing in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing that the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe has devolved authority over abortion legislation to the states, while criticizing Democratic consultants for fearmongering voters.

Meanwhile, several prominent Senate candidates are moving away from past stances on abortion rights and asserting they would not support national bans.

Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown, drawing from his wife’s personal experience with abortion, declared that he would not support a ban and emphasized the human aspect of the issue. Brown stressed the importance of considering people’s lives in discussions about abortion policy.

High-profile Senate candidates are also distancing themselves from an Alabama Supreme Court ruling categorizing frozen embryos created through in vitro fertilization as “babies.”

In response to the ruling, the National Republican Senatorial Committee emphasized the need for candidates to align with public support for IVF and fertility treatments.

The issue has sparked controversy in the GOP presidential primaries, with former Gov. Ron DeSantis defending Florida’s six-week abortion ban before dropping out, and former President Donald Trump considering support for a federal ban at 16 weeks.