The White House issued a statement on Monday threatening to veto a House bill that would ban abortions in the United States after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
“Forty years ago, the Supreme Court affirmed a woman’s constitutional right to privacy, including the right to choose,” the administration said. “This bill is a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade and shows contempt for women’s health and rights, the role doctors play in their patients’ health care decisions, and the Constitution.”
An all-male group of Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month approved the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which bans abortions 20 weeks after fertilization unless the woman’s life is in danger. Republicans rejected several amendments that would have added in exceptions for rape, incest, and health of the mother after Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) argued that “the incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low.”
