Pro-Lifers Argue 'the Tide Is Turning in America' as Pain-Capable Abortion Ban Revived in Congress

WASHINGTON – Pro-life lawmakers are bringing back the fight to ban abortions after five months of pregnancy, saying that's the point at which scientific evidence shows babies being aborted feel pain.

Only seven countries currently allow elective abortions after five months of pregnancy, including the communist regimes in North Korea, Vietnam, and China. The United States is also part of this small group, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) hopes to change that through the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

"I want to get out of the club of seven," said Graham. "I think most people, once they know what we're talking about, this will gain momentum and become law."

Graham says there is mounting evidence proving babies in the womb feel pain at that stage.

"I would ask the opponents of this bill to dispute the fact that anesthesia is provided routinely to a child who is in the 5th month of the pregnancy, to protect the child from the pain that would occur to save its life through surgery," continued Graham.

Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) disputes the research and tells CBN News he believes the bill is a hoax.

"The bill as a whole is unsupported by science, it has no foundation in fact and it violates the Constitution," said Blumenthal. "This proposal is doomed and divisive. It has no chances of success and simply further divides us in efforts to achieve progress."

According to a 2019 Marist poll, 66% of all voters want this law passed.

"The tide is turning in America, and Americans are becoming more and more pro-life," claims Catherine Glenn Foster of Americans United for Life.

She testified at Tuesday's hearing alongside abortion survivor Melissa Ohden.

"The extreme abortion legislation is worrisome, it's painful," Ohden told CBN News.

Foster expressed shock that Democrat Senators Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, who sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee and are running for president in 2020, skipped the hearing.

"It was really telling that they don't want to go on the record and maybe be seen as being so extreme that they would oppose this common sense law, common sense bill that the majority of Americans agree on, even pro-choice Americans," said Foster.

She says according to abortion industry studies, health reasons are not the main reason why the majority of women seek these later abortions.

"Their own studies say in fact it's not because of fetal anomaly, it's not because of life of the mother – it's because in large part the same reasons why women seek those first trimester abortions. It's issues of finances, it's relationship issues, it's not really feeling ready to handle a pregnancy yet," continued Foster.

Senator Graham says he knows getting the votes in the House and Senate will be tough right now, but he's committed to fight for this over the long haul.