WASHINGTON (AP) – A Republican senator seeking his party’s 2016 presidential nomination introduced a bill Thursday banning most late-term abortions and is predicting the Senate will vote on the highly polarizing issue this year.
That’s a vote that could put some GOP senators seeking re-election next year from closely divided states in a tough spot. But the measure’s sponsor, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., offered little sympathy for candidates who would rather avoid the issue.
“Don’t get into politics if you don’t want to talk about things like this,” Graham told journalists Thursday. “You’re in the wrong line of business.”
The House approved a similar measure by a near party-line vote in May, but it seems to stand little chance of becoming law soon.
Graham’s bill would face a tough climb to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a likely Democratic filibuster in the Senate. And it would be highly unlikely to garner 67 votes needed to override an expected veto by President Barack Obama.