Washington D.C., Jun 18, 2013 / 16:22 pm
Despite passing the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill to prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy faces an uncertain future as President Obama's administration has suggested that he will veto it.
"(S)cience is on our side," Representative Marsha Blackburn, (R- Tenn.) told MSNBC in an interview.
Blackburn joined other pro-life representatives, including Michelle Bachmann (R- Minn.) and Virginia Foxx (R- N.C.) in defending the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortions 20 weeks into a pregnancy and later, based on science indicating that unborn children can feel pain by this point. Exceptions in cases of rape, incest or a risk to the mother's life were included in the final House version of the legislation.
The House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 228-196 on June 18, following its passage by the House Judiciary Committee. The legislation will now advance to the Senate, where opponents have vowed to fight it.
The Obama Administration has said that should the legislation gain the approval of both the House and Senate, the president's "senior advisors would recommend that he veto this bill."