By Message Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Five of Louisiana’s six members of the U.S. House of Representatives have voted in favor of the Pain-Capable Unborn Protection Act, which prohibits any person from performing or attempting an abortion after the 20-week period.
During a vote Oct. 3, H.R. 36 passed by a vote of 237 to 189, largely along party lines. Voting in favor of the bill were Louisiana Republicans Ralph Abraham, Garret Graves, Clay Higgins, Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise. The lone no vote from the state’s delegation to the House of Representatives was Cedric Richmond, a Democrat from New Orleans.
The piece of legislation now goes before the Senate for consideration. President Donald Trump has already voiced his support of the bill.
Following the vote, several members of Congress from Louisiana released statements including two Louisiana Baptists, Abraham, a member of Alto Baptist Church and a medical doctor, and Johnson, a member of First Baptist Church in Bossier City.
“As a doctor, I believe in defending life at all stages. I’ve heard a child’s heart beat at six weeks old,” Abraham said in a written statement. “Babies can feel pain at 20 weeks; to abort them is a cruel practice that must end. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is a big step in the right direction toward respecting the dignity of all life, especially those babies who cannot even defend themselves,” Dr. Abraham said.
Likewise, Johnson said passing the bill is necessary to protect the innocent child and also the mother, who he believes is placed at greater risk because abortions performed later in pregnancies put the mom at greater risk.
“Ending the dangerous and violent practice of late-term abortions should not be controversial,” Johnson said in a statement. “On the contrary, a law that allows abortion providers to end the life of an unborn baby when that child can live outside the womb and feel the pain inflicted by such heinous procedures is grotesque and should be corrected immediately. Late-term abortions are responsible for the deaths of thousands of babies each year. It is our moral responsibility to defend the defenseless, and I will continue this fight while in Congress.”
Rep. Higgins echoed the thought.
“The Pain-Capable Act creates greater protections for the unborn and restricts late-term abortions,” Higgins said. “Life is a fundamental and unalienable right, and this bill would give millions of unborn children a chance to live. I am a strong supporter of pro-life priorities and will always vote to protect the unborn.”
