Senator Graham has not yet introduced plea for abortion ban

Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has introduced federal legislation to ban abortions in every full session of Congress since 2013, but has not done so this year.

Throughout the past decade, Graham has proposed legislation to ban abortions at 20 weeks, except in 2022 when he reduced it to 15 weeks just before that year’s midterm elections, according to NBC News.

Senator Graham has never delayed filing his abortion ban legislation this late in a congressional session since 2013, and in December, he mentioned that he had not even considered it.

While acknowledging ongoing negotiations in the Senate on Ukraine aid and immigration, Graham stated that he will eventually introduce the ban proposal next year.

Despite no updates on Graham’s plans to introduce an abortion ban this year, his office informed NBC News that they have no new information, and Rep. Christopher Smith’s office did not respond to inquiries about the bill.

With no abortion bill from Graham this year, it could indicate that Republicans now have more freedom to limit access to abortion following the 2022 Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

Senator Mike Braun, R-Ind., who supported Graham’s 20-week ban proposal in 2021, stated on Monday that there is little point in bringing up the matter in the current congressional session, as the “key victory was getting it from the Supreme Court and putting it back to the states.”

Braun added that the legislation would not pass in the Democrat-controlled Senate due to not having 60 senators in favor of it.

Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, another advocate for a federal ban, noted that the Supreme Court’s Roe ruling has shifted abortion legislation back to the states and criticized “Democrat consultants who are paid to scare voters.”

In contrast, prominent Senate candidates are backing away from previous statements on abortion rights and indicating they would not support national bans.

Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown, referencing his wife’s abortion experience before their marriage, stated he would not support a ban, emphasizing that it involves “people’s lives” and should be discussed with more consideration.

High-profile Senate candidates are also distancing themselves from an Alabama Supreme Court decision that considers frozen embryos from in vitro fertilization as “babies.”

In response to the Alabama ruling, the National Republican Senatorial Committee emphasized the importance of aligning with public support for IVF and fertility treatments.

While the issue has been divisive in the GOP presidential primaries, former Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended his state’s six-week ban, and former President Donald Trump is considering support for a 16-week federal ban.