Republicans seek US ban on abortions after 15 weeks or pregnancy

( Times )

Republicans in the US Senate plan to introduce legislation banning abortion nationwide, with the debate emerging as one of the central issues in the midterm campaigns.

The bill, titled the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, will seek to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, according to US media reports.

Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina senator, is expected to table the bill today with support from other Republican senators. It is a modified version of the previous bill of the same name that restricted abortion access for women who were more than 20 weeks pregnant, with the exception of certain conditions.

The earlier bill cited foetuses being able to experience pain at 20 weeks as a reason for banning abortion access, although this is a