WASHINGTON — Advocates for District of Columbia voting rights in Congress will be visiting an Arizona congressman who wants to ban abortion in the nation’s capital after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The activists are planning a “DC Constituent Service Day” in Republican Rep. Trent Franks’ office on Wednesday. D.C. Vote, the group organizing the visit, says residents will confront Franks with a variety of municipal concerns since he’s shown such an interest in local affairs.
The abortion bill is being pushed by the National Right to Life Committee, an anti-abortion group. It’s based on the disputed claim that fetuses can feel pain at a gestational age of 20 weeks or older. Eight states have passed similar legislation, and Franks has said Congress has a responsibility to end late-term abortions in the district.
This session, Gov. Brewer signed legislation giving Arizona the toughest abortion restrictions in the country, including the ban on the procedure once a fetus has developed for 20 weeks.
People are also reading…
Last year Brewer approved a requirement for women to have a face-to-face consultation with a doctor 24 hours before a pregnancy can be terminated. She also signed legislation limiting what kind of abortions can be performed by nurse practitioners.
