Republican lawmakers announce plan to vote on 20-week-abortion ban

Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have announced the plan to vote on a measure that would ban abortion after 20 weeks into pregnancy.

On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) joined Reps. Diane Black (R-TN), Trent Franks (R-AZ), Vicki Hartzler (R-MO), and Chris Smith (R-NJ) to announce the vote on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would prohibit abortions on unborn babies that are older than 20 weeks. The measure contains exceptions for rape and incest, as well as cases when the life of the woman is in danger.

"Next week, I'm bringing legislation to the House floor that will respect the sanctity of life and stop needless suffering," McCarthy said, as reported by Life Site News.

"The Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act will protect the voiceless, the vulnerable, and the marginalized," he continued.

The bill, initially introduced in 2015, was approved by the House that same year, but it was blocked by Senate Democrats.

It is based on studies that showed unborn babies are capable of feeling pain around the age of 20 weeks.

A research documented by the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that unborn babies can feel pain at 20 weeks post-fertilization. Additionally, it also showed that the unborn can exhibit defense responses during invasive procedures in the womb as early as six weeks post-fertilization.

The pro-life group March for Life welcomed the announcement of the upcoming vote, which will take place on Oct. 3.

"If enacted, this common sense policy would limit abortion to 20 weeks and finally join the consensus shared by eight out of ten Americans – abortion should have real legal limits," said the group's president Jeanne Mancini.

"This bill would not only save 20,000 lives every year, but would educate the public on the humanity of the unborn person and affirm the science of fetal pain early in development," she added.

The measure is expected to be approved by the House, where Republicans have a majority, but it faces an obstacle in the Senate, where it needs at least 60 votes to pass but only 52 seats are controlled by Republicans

President Donald Trump had reportedly stated that he will sign the legislation, and a pro-life leader who recently met with him has said that a bill banning late-term abortions is a "high priority" for the administration.

Signing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act was one of the policy commitments that were outlined in the letter Trump had sent to pro-life leaders during the presidential campaign.