Washington DC:

The Catholic Bishops in the United States are expressing their support for a nationwide abortion ban intended to protect unborn babies after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge, the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, wrote a letter thanking Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina for introducing the “Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act.”

Calling it a “positive step toward protecting the right to life of pre-born children,” the prelate decried that abortion not only ends the life of the pre-born child but also “pose significant physical, and potentially fatal, risks to the mother.”

Assuring his support for the proposed bill to protect the life of pre-born babies from 15 weeks gestation, the prelate described it “as a step toward fulfilling the ultimate imperative that all pre-born children be protected from the moment of conception and that mothers be supported. All elected officials at all levels of government, including members of Congress at the federal level, now have the opportunity to protect pre-born human life and should rise to the occasion. We strongly encourage your colleagues in Congress to co-sponsor this legislation.”

Emphasizing that the Church urges the government to protect unborn children from the moment of conception, Bishop Burbidge added, “We will never cease working for laws that protect human life from its beginning, supporting mothers in need, and ultimately making abortion unthinkable.”

He further said that providing mothers in need with life-giving support and personal accompaniment is the most immediate way to save babies and mothers from abortion. According to the prelate, this also involves addressing the fundamental challenges that lead a pregnant mother to believe she is unable to welcome the child.

The legislation, known as the “Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act,” would establish a nationwide minimum protection for unborn children in the 15th week of gestation. The bill would still permit states to prohibit abortions before 15 weeks of pregnancy but not after.

The bill, proposed by Graham in the Senate and Chris Smith in the House, in September of last year, would ban abortion after 15 weeks, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger.