Press releases

Watch Kennedy’s comments here.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) offered an amendment to the Senate budget resolution that would penalize abortion providers that perform elective abortions on unborn babies with a gestational age of 20 weeks or more. Senate Democrats blocked Kennedy’s amendment.

“Babies can start feeling pain at 20 weeks in the womb. These unborn children can suffer horrifically as they struggle for their lives during an abortion. I’m incredibly sad that Senate Democrats rejected the chance to protect innocent babies from such cruelty,” said Kennedy. 

Children in the womb can feel pain 20 weeks after fertilization. In some cases, fetal surgeons performing medical procedures in the womb have had to sedate unborn children with anesthesia to relieve their stress and prevent them from moving in reaction to pain. 

Text of the amendment is available here.