As alarming as the nearly daily outrages coming from Donald Trump have been, much of what has churned out of Capitol Hill is almost as alarming. We got a reminder of this on Tuesday, when word came out that a particularly monstrous attempt to ban all abortions in this country is very close to coming up for a vote in the House.
For over five years, veteran religious right activist Janet Porter fought to get state legislators across the country to enact a “heartbeat bill,” which would effectively ban abortions where a fetus’ heartbeat could be detected. She briefly succeeded in getting her home state of Ohio to pass this monstrosity in December 2016. However, Governor John Kasich vetoed it, saying it was blatantly unconstitutional and would stick Ohioans with the bill for all-but-certain lawsuits.
Undaunted, Porter announced an effort to enact a federal heartbeat bill, and traveled to Washington over inauguration weekend to gin up support. But before she could pack her bags, Congressman Steve King of Iowa introduced the “Heartbeat Protection Act,” which would ban doctors from performing abortions if the fetus has a “detectable heartbeat.” The only exception to this ban would be if an abortion is necessary to save the mother’s life. Violations would be punishable by up to five years in prison.
Over the spring and summer, King and Porter have been doing something that neither of them have been known for doing–moving quietly. On Tuesday, Porter told televangelist Gordon Klingenschmitt that King’s version of the heartbeat bill could make it to the House floor very soon. People for the American Way’s Right Wing Watch got a clip.
About 12 minutes into the show, Porter told Klingenschmitt that she’d just made her ninth trip to Washington, and found dozens of lawmakers who wanted to sign on as cosponsors. She also handed “whip cards” to a number of congressional spouses with lists of 10 names to call. Largely due to this effort, the bill had 124 cosponsors as of the close of business on Wednesday–more than half the GOP caucus.
She also revealed that the bill could have a hearing before the Judiciary Committee “as early as July.” It could potentially get a floor vote as early as September. She also revealed that a member of her team at Faith 2 Action had spoken with Speaker Paul Ryan to see if he would allow a floor vote. His response? “Yeah, get me the votes!” Needless to say, Porter is ecstatic.
“We’ve got, I believe, a window right now where we have the opportunity to do more than regulate abortion. To do more than defund abortion. We actually have the opportunity to end it in nearly every case for every child whose heartbeat can be heard.”
She went on to tell the audience that they are on the verge of something the pro-life/forced-birth movement has been dreaming of doing for more than four decades.
“If you knew how close we were to a congressional vote to protect every child whose heartbeat can be heard, your heart would leap with joy.”
If you’re in the reality-based world, your heart should be in your throat at this development.
Porter has launched a Website, Heartbeatbill.com, to promote the effort to pass this monstrous bill. It touts a poll from Barna Group which claims 69 percent of Americans–including 55 percent of Democrats–support the bill’s basic premise.
But there’s one huge caveat. The bill is based on junk science. For one thing, not all heartbeats can be detected at the same time. It depends on a number of factors, such as the fetus’ position in the uterus. In some cases, a heartbeat can be heard before the mother even knows she’s pregnant. It’s pretty safe to say that Porter wouldn’t be so giddy about the poll results if Barna had mentioned those key facts.
You’ll notice that there’s no Senate companion to King’s bill. It’s just as well, because this bill is going to be a very hard sell in the Senate–not in the least because it doesn’t have any exceptions for rape and incest. The three pro-choice Republicans in the chamber–Susan Collins, Shelley Moore Capito, and Lisa Murkowski–aren’t likely to support this bill. That means the Republicans will need to peel off one of the three anti-abortion Democrats in the chamber–Joe Donnelly, Joe Manchin, and Bob Casey. However, all three Democrats support abortion in cases of rape or incest. Translation? In all likelihood, this bill will die by a 51-49 margin if it makes it to the Senate in its current form.
Moreover, this bill is a lawsuit waiting to happen if Trump signs it. Like the numerous personhood bills that have been peddled at the state level, it will have the effect of tying doctors’ hands in cases where medical opinion is unanimous that a pregnancy must be ended. King and Porter ought to do us all a favor and pay the costs of defending this bill out of their own pockets. That’s how outrageously unconstitutional this bill is.
At least now we have fair warning that Porter’s pipe dream is moving along. But it’s not too late to stop this train. Pester your congress(wo)men and Senators, and tell them that this misbegotten bill must not pass. It’s time to send Porter a message. We will fight every step of the way to ensure that this monstrosity never becomes law.
(featured image courtesy Porter’s Facebook)
