Last month, the US House of Representatives passed the historic bill to protect the lives of unborn children who feel pain by banning abortion after 20 weeks. At that time, many pro-lifers were highly doubtful that formerly “pro-life,” currently pro-abortion Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid would bring up similar legislation in the Senate. At least until next year, the Senate is controlled by an ardently pro-abortion Democratic majority. The chances of Reid allowing a vote on the bill seemed dim.
However, there may yet be some hope. Appearing on Meet the Press over the weekend, Reid, while certainly not returning to his pro-life roots, seemed to open the door to considering the bill. After repeatedly dodging David Gregory’s question regarding the reasonableness of banning brutal late-term abortions, Reid finally conceded that he was “happy to take a look” at a ban on abortion after 20 weeks. Reid stressed that he doesn’t want to focus on “fringe issues,” and argued that Congress should “do things that the vast majority of the American people think we should deal with.”
But here’s the thing: Banning dangerous, late-term abortions would certainly qualify. Indeed, polling has consistently shown strong opposition to late-term abortions. Even a new poll from the left-leaning Huffington Post asserts that what Reid called a fringe issue is in fact a radically mainstream idea. Let’s hope that Harry Reid was serious when he volunteered to “take a look.” We’ll be happy to take him up on the offer. If he refuses to allow debate on the bill, it’s our job to show him where the fringe really is.
