As we once again get down to the wire on a potential government shutdown, Senate Democrats are taking an extreme stance on abortion and plan to block legislation introduced by Republicans to ban abortions after five months of pregnancy.
Democrats seem certain to block Republican legislation banning most late-term abortions in a Senate showdown with plenty of political significance but little suspense.
Though the GOP controls the Senate, Democrats appeared certain to prevent them from getting the 60 votes needed Tuesday to move ahead on the bill. It would be the second time since this summer's release of videos involving Planned Parenthood that Senate Democrats have scuttled a Republican effort to curb the organization and abortions.
The Republican bill would set criminal penalties of up to five years in prison for doctors who perform most abortions 20 weeks or more into pregnancy. The House approved the legislation in May.
Once again, Democrats are on the wrong side of this issue. Not only do the majority of Americans support a ban on late-term abortions, but so do the majority of women.
Most Americans would favor sweeping new national restrictions on abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy, according to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll. But the poll also shows many Americans remain conflicted in their views on abortion. By a margin of 59 percent to 30 percent, respondents to the new poll said they would favor a federal law banning abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The question for the left that keeps coming up is this: At what point should it be illegal for a woman to abort her child? Five months? Seven months? Nine months? When the baby is carried out of the hospital? Outside of the Senate, Democrats like Debbie Wasserman and Hillary Clinton can't and won't give direct answers to those questions.