In a scathing rebuke to U.S. senators, many of whom profess to be Christian, Evangelical pastor Franklin Graham has condemned the shameful failure to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Children Protection Act, calling it a vote “against human rights, the right to be born.”
In a series of posts on social media, Rev. Graham—the son of the eminent Billy Graham—underscored the advances of medical science that assure the ability of developed unborn infants to feel pain, as well as noting that the Senate decision places the United States in a notoriously small group of nations that allow abortions beyond 20 weeks, in the company of ruthless atheist dictatorships like China and North Korea.
“This week the Senate was 9 votes short of saving a lot of lives. But the vote finished at 51 for – 46 against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act that would have banned abortions after 20 weeks in the U.S.,” Graham wrote.
“After the vote, President Donald J. Trump even said, ‘Scientific studies have demonstrated that babies in the womb feel pain at twenty weeks … We must defend those who cannot defend themselves,’” Graham noted.
“I cannot imagine the regret these 46 politicians will one day have when they stand before God, the Creator, and realize the opportunity they had to do good, to do right, but they voted NO to protecting lives,” he said. “They voted against human rights, the right to be born in the first place.”
“We remain among the worst 7 countries in the world with these 20-week abortions,” he concluded. “Pray for our lawmakers; and pray for our nation to turn to God.”
As Breitbart News reported earlier this week, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan also denounced the Senate’s failure to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, calling the vote a rejection of “common sense.”
“The U.S. Senate’s failure to adopt the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, prohibiting abortions at 20 weeks post-fertilization, is appalling,” Dolan said in a statement on Monday. “Abortions performed in the second half of pregnancy usually involve brutally dismembering a defenseless unborn child, while also posing serious dangers to his or her mother.”
Among the nay votes were a remarkable number of Catholics, including former Vice-Presidential candidate Tim Kaine, Susan Collins, Dick Durbin, and Lisa Murkowski.
In his statement, Cardinal Dolan, who is chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said that the Senate had separated itself from the American people with its vote.
“The Senate’s rejection of this common-sense legislation is radically out of step with most Americans,” Dolan said. “Opinion polls consistently show that a strong majority of the public opposes late-term abortions—including those who self-identify as ‘pro-choice.’”
The cardinal also said that allowing abortions after 20 weeks places the United States in a rogue’s gallery of nations known for their violations of human rights.
“Furthermore, the United States is currently one of only seven countries that allows abortions beyond 20-weeks. The other six are North Korea, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada and the Netherlands. The Senate must rethink its extreme stance on late-term abortions,” he said.
“I call upon the public to tell the Senate that this vote is absolutely unacceptable,” the cardinal concluded.
Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter Follow @tdwilliamsrome
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