A woman who claims to have undergone an abortion at 16 weeks confronted Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Tuesday when he unveiled a bill to ban the procedure nationwide after 15 weeks.
Ashbey Beasley, who survived the Highland Park mass shooting that killed seven and injured dozens more in Illinois in July, pressed the senator about the apparent lack of exceptions for fetal abnormalities in his proposed legislation.
LINDSEY GRAHAM TO PROPOSE NATIONAL ABORTION BAN
“We were allowed to make that choice for him,” Beasley exclaimed, referring to her son who had a fetal abnormality, per the Daily Mail. “You would be robbing that choice from millions of women.”
Graham unveiled the “Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act” Tuesday, which would enact a sweeping ban on abortions nationwide after 15 weeks of gestation, with exceptions for instances of rape, incest, and safeguarding the life of the mother.
Senator Graham’s press conference was interrupted at the end by Highland Park shooting survivor Ashby Beasley, who said she had an abortion at 16 weeks due to a fatal fetal abnormality pic.twitter.com/oQxk8QhnKB
— Liz Elkind (@liz_elkind) September 13, 2022
Beasley was at the Capitol to press Sens. Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Mike Braun (R-IN) on gun control and popped by Graham’s abortion policy debut, per the report.
During the exchange, she recounted how she discovered her unborn baby suffered from fetal abnormalities and was unlikely to survive at 16 weeks of gestation.
“The world has pretty much spoken on this issue,” Graham replied to Beasley. “Doctors say at this stage of the pregnancy the child feels pain, and we’re saying we’re going to join the rest of the world and not be like Iran.”
“There are no exceptions in this bill for a baby who is born with an abnormality,” Beasley quipped during the exchange.
The senator argued that his legislation would help Americans sort out their position on abortion. He previously advocated a 20-week ban on abortion nationwide, arguing that it would stop women from terminating a pregnancy at a time when the unborn can feel pain — a time frame that has been subject to debate by some scientists.
Graham said he opted to ratchet up the restrictions to 15 weeks after being asked by anti-abortion activists. The measure is certain to hit a wall in the Senate, given the 50-50 split that favors the Democrats with Vice President Kamala Harris as a tiebreaker and the lack of votes to overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to break a filibuster.
During his media spectacle for the abortion bill, Graham highlighted the fact that numerous countries around the world, including in Europe, have law equivalent to or stricter than the one he is proposing.
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Ever since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, when the Supreme Court overturned federal protections for abortion first set in Roe v. Wade, Democrats have criticized Republicans on abortion, hoping to whittle away their electoral edge in the anticipated red wave.
Graham has argued his proposal will force Democrats to answer questions about why they oppose abortion restrictions that polling shows most people favor.
Senate GOP not on same page on Graham’s 15-week abortion. Thune supports it. Rick Scott said he’d “look at it.” Cornyn and Ron Johnson said it should be left to the states. Asked if he backs Graham bill, Johnson said it should be decided by “we the people” in the 50 states.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 13, 2022
