ABORTION/HOUSE OF REPS: “The House passed a bill to criminalize abortions performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy on Tuesday [10-3-17], advancing a core plank of the Republican antiabortion push, which has President Donald Trump’s support but is likely to founder in the Senate.
Republicans advanced the bill on a 237-189 largely party-line vote, the third time that similar legislation has passed the House since 2013. Three Democrats voted for the bill and two Republicans against it.
Republican leaders acknowledge the bill isn’t likely to become law soon, given the difficulty of mustering the necessary 60 votes in the Senate. Republicans hold a 52-48 majority in that chamber and would face a challenge in attracting Democratic votes. If the bill passed, it would also face a constitutional challenge under the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion.
The bill’s proponents hope that in holding the vote, they can raise the issue’s profile and put lawmakers on the record before the 2018 midterm elections.”
-Michelle Hackman, “House Backs Ban on Abortions After 20 Weeks,” The Wall Street Journal online, Oct. 3, 2017 07:09pm