The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a bill that bans late-term abortions from shortly after 20 weeks of pregnancy to the day of birth. The vote was 237 to 189. Only three Democrats supported the bill and only three Republicans opposed it.

Rockland’s representative in the House, Nita Lowey, (D, 17th CD), voted against it.

The bill is called the “Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” the name reflecting the evidence that unborn babies of that age are capable of feeling intense pain during an abortion.

This legislation has passed in the House of Representatives twice before, in 2013 and 2015, but was killed in the Senate. If it does pass in the Senate this time, President Trump has promised to sign it into law.

Sixteen states have enacted similar legislation: Ohio, Texas, Nebraska, Idaho, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Kansas.

190 countries do NOT allow abortions past 5 months. Among those that do are China, North Korea, the Netherlands, Singapore, Vietnam, Canada — and the USA.

It was an exciting step forward in the House of Representatives today. Thank you to all who supported the bill, especially Rep. Chris Smith of  NJ, the leader of the prolife caucus in the House.