(Washington, DC) The Republican National Committee approved today a resolution supporting all federal, state and local legislation to stop abortion after 20 weeks, more than halfway through pregnancy. The public support for the 20-week abortion limit, also known as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, comes ahead of Tuesday’s one-year anniversary of the conviction of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell. Gosnell was found guilty of the murder of three babies and the negligent death of one patient.
Gosnell’s gruesome crimes spurred advancement of the 20-week abortion limit at the federal and state levels. To date, 13 states have enacted 20-week abortion limits based on the unborn child’s ability to feel pain. The U.S. House passed this legislation in June 2013 by a vote of 228-196, and Senator Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) companion legislation has 40 cosponsors in the U.S. Senate.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national pro-life group the Susan B. Anthony List praised the RNC saying:
“Americans are united in their support for commonsense legislation to stop abortion more than halfway through pregnancy. We thank the Republican committeemen and women for affirming all efforts to end barbaric late abortions nationwide and urge Democrats to do the same. In state legislatures across the county, Democrats are bucking pressure from their national leaders to support this compassionate legislation that is already popular with their constituents.”
This week Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) circulated a letter signed by more than 30 U.S. Senators including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), urging him to bring the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act for a floor vote.
“A federal law is long overdue,” continued Dannenfelser. “The United States is only one of seven countries to allow abortion on demand at such a late stage of pregnancy. The U.S. Senate should follow the RNC’s lead and go on record on this important issue.”
Author and chief sponsor of the resolution RNC Committeewoman Ellen Barrosse said:
“The Republican Party is proudly pro-life and this resolution shows our support for this straightforward, simple pro-life initiative. Children capable of feeling intense pain, as well as their mothers, should be protected from abortion at such a very late stage of gestation.”
Recent national polling by Quinnipiac, National Journal, Huffington Post, NBC/Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post/ABC News all found that a plurality or majority of Americans support limiting abortion after 20 weeks and that women support the measure in higher proportions than men.
The Susan B. Anthony List and its affiliated Political Action Committees, the SBA List Candidate Fund and Women Speak Out PAC, are dedicated to pursuing policies and electing candidates who will reduce and ultimately end abortion. To that end, the SBA List emphasizes the education, promotion, mobilization, and election of pro-life women at all levels of government. The SBA List is a network of more than 365,000 pro-life Americans nationwide.