ABORTION/DEMS/POLITICS: “A bill criminalizing abortions performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy failed to advance in the Senate on Monday [1-29-18] but forced Democrats up for re-election in competitive races to take sides on the contentious issue.
The legislation secured 51 votes, mostly from Republicans, shy of the 60 the bill needed to move forward. The three Democrats to support the bill—Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Joe Donnelly of Indiana—all face re-election this fall and represent states that President Donald Trump carried in 2016.
Forty-six senators voted against the bill, including two Republicans: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The legislation has become a core plank of the antiabortion movement’s federal strategy, and its leaders pressure lawmakers to repeatedly cast votes on the issue to raise public awareness. The House passed an identical bill in October on a party-line vote and has passed similar legislation three times since 2013.
President Trump secured the support of many social conservatives when he promised during his campaign to adopt the antiabortion movement’s top priorities, including the ban on abortions after 20 weeks. His administration has taken other significant steps to restrict access to the procedure, including allowing states to exclude abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from their Medicaid and Title X family-planning programs.”
-Michelle Hackman and Natalie Andrews, “Senate Fails to Pass Bill Banning Abortions After 20 Weeks,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 29, 2018 09:14pm