Tulsi Gabbard Introduces Bill Banning Abortions Once Baby Can Feel Pain

Democrat Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii continues to diverge from the more orthodox views of her fellow Democrats.

Last week, Gabbard introduced a bill designed to protect abortion survivors and earlier this month, Gabbard introduced a bill that would ban biological males from participating in female athletics events.

On Wednesday, Gabbard proposed legislation that would ban abortions once it is determined that a fetus can feel pain.

The bill, HR 8939, aims to “protect pain-capable” preborn children from the various forms of pain associated with abortion.

The full text of the bill is currently unavailable. However, according to Congress.gov, the bill has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

It was not clear what week of pregnancy Gabbard’s bill designates as the limit for obtaining an abortion, according to National Review, but similar legislation has designated the 20th week of pregnancy as the cutoff.

According to The Daily Caller, “Similar legislation, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act would have banned abortions after 20 weeks but failed to secure the needed votes.”

The Daily Caller‘s Brianna Lyman writes:

There are conflicting reports from doctors and scientists as to whether or not 20 week old fetuses can feel pain. A 2005 study found it was unlikely for a fetus to feel pain until about 27 weeks, and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in 2013 that there was no evidence to dispute the study, according to The New York Times.

Brianna Lyman | The Daily Caller | December 16, 2020

The pro-life group Democrats for Life in America (DFLA) announced the content of the bill on Facebook and in an online petition.

“Former Democratic Presidential Candidate Tulsi Gabbard introduced her SECOND Pro-Life bill this week, which would amend Title 18 of the U.S. code to give pain-capable fetuses rights under the law,” DFLA wrote in a post on Facebook. “Tulsi has previously voted against this bill three times, but is now the SPONSOR of the new bill. This is proof that DFLA can convince Democrats to join the right side of history.”

According to Live Action, DFLA has created a petition asking members of Congress to support Gabbard’s pain-capable abortion bill.