It’s historic, popular, and spearheaded by women – that’s how supporters of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Act’s described the bill on a conference call held by the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List Tuesday.
The bill, which passed in the House Tuesday night by a vote of 228-196, bans abortions after twenty weeks outside of exceptions made in cases of rape, incest and the mother’s health. It comes in the wake of several revelations of abuse at clinics providing late-term abortions, including the atrocities at the Philadelphia clinic of abortionist Kermit Gosnell, who was recently convicted of first-degree murder.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the SBA-List, said that the bill represented several historic firsts.
“This bill is the first time since Roe v. Wade we’re debating a point at which we’ll draw the line on abortion, and we think it should be the 20-week point overwhelmingly supported by Americans, 80 percent of whom oppose abortion in the third trimester and 64 percent oppose it in the second trimester,” Dannenfelser said on the conference call. “It’s also the first time that the conversation has been dominated by pro-life women, who particularly understand the issue.”
Marilyn Musgrave, a former Congresswoman and the vice president for government affairs at the SBA-List, agreed.
“I’ve been in the pro-life cause all of my life, and I think we should be very encouraged today. It’s truly historic, but also the first step in a long battle,” Musgrave said. She added that pro-life women are the ones leading the charge, including Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Virginia Fox (R-N.C.), and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.).
“The pro-abortion side always brings their women out. Today, that unique perspective will be heard from pro-life women,” she added.
While defending charges against the bill that it didn’t go far enough to eradicate abortion in the U.S., the supporters also said that it would break the 40-year stalemate in the country over Roe v. Wade.
“What Roe did was blockade the public’s ability to let its will become law. There’s a natural tension now between what folks want and what they can’t get,” Dannenfelser said. “This bill reflects the solid, overwhelming majority of people, and closes that gap between the will of the people and the law. It reaches consensus, and that’s what we’re all about.
“The extremism on the other side is jaw-breaking. What Pelosi said, abortion is sacred ground, that’s not common ground. The common ground is the 64 to 80 percent of people who support us,” she added.
