President Trump during his State of the Union address Tuesday blasted Democrats for authorizing “a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb” and allowing doctors to “execute a baby after birth,” urging Congress to pass a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
“To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb,” Trump said.
The president’s comments come after New York loosened restrictions on abortion and as Democrats are under fire for controversial comments regarding late-term abortion.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and state Del. Kathy Tran, both Democrats, last week said they supported a state bill that appeared to allow abortion at the time of birth. Tran later said she misspoke about when abortion would be permitted and Northam’s office later released a statement saying that the governor’s comments were mischaracterized and had been intended in cases in which a baby wouldn’t survive birth because of deformity or another health issue.
In his State of the Union address, Trump called the remarks “chilling.”
“Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth,” Trump said. “These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world. And then, we had the case of the governor of Virginia where he basically stated he would execute a baby after birth.”
Trump last year during a broadcast speech called for passage of the 20-week ban at the March for Life rally, which protests abortion. The Senate rejected the legislation, known as the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, in a 51-46 vote. The bill, which had passed the House under Republican control in 2017, would need the support of 60 senators to receive the president’s signature.
The bill would have made it a crime for doctors to perform abortions after 20 weeks of gestation. Those who break the law would face a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. The legislation contained exemptions in cases of rape, incest, and a when the pregnancy endangers the woman’s life. It did not contain exemptions for fetal abnormalities.
Proponents of the legislation say that a fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks, but opponents argue women who have abortions late in a pregnancy tend to be faced with test results that reveal when a baby is born it with die or face lifelong disabilities.
At least 20 states ban abortion after 20 weeks, and fewer than 1 percent of abortions occur during that stage of pregnancy.
[Opinion: Trump, in State of the Union, takes the high road on abortion]
