Lawmakers behind a Republican-proposed bill to seek legal action against abortion providers say pain can be felt by babies in wombs as early as 20 weeks.
The "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" calls for providers to face legal action if babies 20 weeks or more are aborted, with exceptions for rape victims.
Opposition to the bill includes concerns regarding who should decide a woman's health care rights.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S. Carolina) conducted a news conference Tuesday and said it is time for the country to understand "that at five months a baby feels excruciating pain if not protected."
In a popular video regarding Georgia's "Heartbeat Bill", Senator Jen Jordan (D-Georgia) said women and their physicians should do what they believe to be in the best interest of the patient.
The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Act states: "By 8 weeks after fertilization, the unborn child reacts to touch. After 20 weeks, the unborn child reacts to stimuli that would be recognized as painful if applied to an adult human, for example, by recoiling."
The bill states the age of the unborn child will be determined by the physician performing the abortion, to rely upon a determination made by another physician.
