As we've noted in many previous posts, it's a great solution...to a non-existent problem.
In addition to the shameless name-dropping found in Franks' bill -- "The Susan B. Anthony and Fredrick Douglas Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act" -- it also would give a woman's family members the ability to sue abortion providers if they think an abortion was performed because of the race or sex of the fetus.
A similar bill introduced by Franks was killed in committee last year. However, the new bill is scheduled for a markup tomorrow afternoon in the House Judiciary Committee, and already has 78 co-sponsors. The support suggests the bill could make it to a floor vote before this year's November election.
Planned Parenthood, which according to the pro-life publication Life News, performs nearly 30 percent of the abortions in the United States. In other words, the organization knows a thing or two about ending a pregnancy -- and why people choose to do so.
Last year, when the far-right-wingers in the Arizona Legislature were ironing out the details of the state's new race/gender-based abortion law, we spoke to Cyndi Cerf, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, to see if there was any need for the new law.
"There is no indication that [abortions being performed based on the race or sex of the fetus] is even an issue," she told New Times.
Cerf, rather, feels that the bill "is just to further damage the reputations of women who get an abortion."
Franks also is attempting to use Congress' authority over Washington D.C. to push his anti-abortion agenda with a bill that would dictate when women in the nation's capitol are allowed to get an abortion.
The bill, "The District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," would ban abortions in D.C. of fetuses at least 20 weeks old.
Why 20 weeks, you ask? Well, according to Franks, that's when fetuses begin feeling pain. Get the details here.
Click here to see Smith's memo to GOP House colleagues.
