The pro-life group National Right to Life has leveled sharp criticism at Democratic Montana Senator John Walsh for co-sponsoring what they call 'the most radical pro-abortion bill ever considered by Congress'.

President of the National Right to Life Committee, Carol Tobias, took Walsh and 34 other co-sponsors in the U.S. Senate to task for introducing the "Women's Health Protection Act."

"S.1696 should more accurately be called the "Abortion Without Limits Until Birth Act", Tobias said. "What this bill would do is to have Congress wipe out laws that have been passed in many of the states and even at the federal level. Basically, it means that any bill or law that would impede abortion, or reduce access to abortion would be wiped out. Unfortunately, your Senator, John Walsh, is one of the sponsors of this bill."

Tobias, speaking from her office in Washington, D.C. said all the sponsors in the Senate and supporters of the bill in the U.S. House are Democrats, and that not a single Republican has expressed support for S. 1696. She detailed some of the laws that, in her view, would be nullified by the bill.

"Some states have laws that say you can't have an abortion simply because you don't like the gender of your child," she said. "Some other states say women must be provided with specific information about the abortion, about alternatives to abortion, and possible dangers of the actual procedure. Another bill, passed by 10 states, say that once a child reaches 20 weeks and can feel pain, abortion is no longer allowed. The same goes for what are called 'conscience laws', where doctors and nurses may follow moral convictions or religious beliefs opposed to abortion. All those laws would be wiped out by S. 1696."

Tobias said she hopes the Senate votes on the bill.

"We want the Senators to vote on S. 1696, so that everyone will know exactly where they stand," she said.

Testimony on the bill was heard on Tuesday before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, where Tobias and other interested parties testified.

A call to Planned Parenthood of Montana for rebuttal has not yet been returned.

President of the National Right to Life Committee Carol Tobias

 

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