WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two months before the Nov. 8 midterm elections, in which the abortion debate has turned into a potential political liability for Republican candidates, Republican U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham urged additional nationwide limitations on abortion.
Graham unveiled legislation that would outlaw abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy nationally as the Senate's majority is up for grabs and some uneasy Republican contenders soften their stances on the issue.The action entails political pitfalls. According to polls, the relevance of the abortion debate among Democratic voters in the midterm elections grew after the U.S. The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which established women's constitutional right to an abortion for nearly 50 years, was overturned by the Supreme Court in June.63% of respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted from September 7–12 said they were less likely to support politicians who supported laws that forbade or severely restricted abortion.
Graham's bill is stricter than similar legislation he offered in prior years that sought to outlaw abortions after 20 weeks but won't pass in the Democratic-controlled Congress. In situations involving rape, incest, or threats to the mother's life or health, the existing bill permits exceptions.Democrats, particularly Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who played on Graham's loyalty to former President Donald Trump by dubbing the bill as a "MAGA" measure—an acronym for Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again"—quickly attacked the legislation.On the Senate floor, Schumer declared, "Proposals like the one today send a clear message from MAGA Republicans to women around the country: your body, our decision.Following the Supreme Court ruling that allowed for the enforcement of numerous state-level abortion prohibitions, proponents of abortion rights have won electoral wins.
After making abortion his main campaign topic, Democrat Pat Ryan defeated a Republican challenger in a special election for the House last month. Voters in the conservative state of Kansas soundly rejected a proposal to strike down the state's constitutional ban on abortion.
Democrats are now seeking to take advantage of Republican weaknesses in several House and Senate races by using the abortion issue.
Republicans are expected to win the House in November, but they may find it more difficult to restore the Senate majority as Trump-backed candidates fare poorly in crucial swing states like Arizona, Georgia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
According to American media sources, certain Republican candidates, such as Arizona's Senate prospect Blake Masters, have gone so far as to modify their campaign websites to remove extreme pro-abortion rhetoric.
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