(NewsGlobal.com)- Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, gave the impression that he was uninterested in the federal abortion ban that Lindsey Graham advocated (R-SC).
On Tuesday, Graham submitted legislation that, if passed, would make it illegal to perform abortions in the United States after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. The law makes exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, and situations in which there is a threat to the woman’s life.
On Tuesday’s episode of Spicer & Keith, Paul stated that the states should have the authority to determine their abortion legislation.
“Do you think that the timing of this law is appropriate?” Lyndsay Keith asked Paul, referring to the fact that the midterm elections are getting closer.
Paul began by qualifying his answer that he is completely pro-life and will always back those who take a pro-life viewpoint. That being said, he believes it’s more likely than not, and probably the better part of valor to wait and watch how the states sort things out.
The senator mentioned that the Supreme Court decided to overrule Roe v. Wade, a case from 1973 in which the court found that the right to abortion is guaranteed by the Constitution. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was the case that ruled abortion is a question that should be decided by the states or by Congress.
Paul said that he thinks the best thing would be to settle things out at the state level and “see what happens.”
He doesn’t believe that there will be a vote on the federal level, because he doesn’t believe that the Democrats are necessarily interested in this vote.
“ I don’t believe that they will bring it up for a vote. Therefore, in many respects, it’s probably a moot point.”
The fact that abortion legislation in the Senate would require 60 votes to begin and complete debate makes it difficult to think that any such law would be carried, according to Paul’s statements.
He explained that he is the ranking Republican on the Small Business Committee. Therefore,he’s battled against the idea of donating free money to Planned Parenthood through the various pandemic relief programs. The federal government is responsible for those matters. He believes that the Roe v. Wade problem will be decided on a state-by-state basis, and that we’ll find out how that works out later.
It needs sixty votes for a bill to pass the Senate, and there aren’t sixty votes right now. Federal legislation that either legalizes or bans abortion is not going to pass at this time.
