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Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) today voted in favor of the bipartisan Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36), of which he is a cosponsor.

Science increasingly confirms that unborn babies feel pain by at least 20 weeks post-fertilization. H.R. 36 makes elective abortions on unborn babies 20 weeks post-fertilization or older illegal, except in cases of rape or incest, or to protect the life of the mother.

In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker signed a similar bill into law in 2015. Wisconsin’s Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act prohibits abortions of unborn children after 20 weeks post-fertilization.

“Late-term abortion is not only painful for the mother, but there’s more and more evidence that it’s painful for the child as well,” said Grothman. “With this vote, we protected some of the most vulnerable members of our society from excruciating pain.”

The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 237-189.

Background

Currently, the U.S. is one of only seven countries in the world, including North Korea and China, where elective, late-term abortions are legal.

A 2017 Marist poll found that 74 percent of Americans favor restrictions on abortions, and more than half of Americans support a ban on abortions that take place after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

This bill would seek to hold abortion providers accountable by punishing them for performing illegal late-term abortions, but it would not punish the women who have the abortions.

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U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman is serving his second term representing Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.