Anti-Abortion Lawmakers Can't Even Pass Bans In Their Own Republican-Controlled Legislatures

Abortion bans failed this week in both Nebraska and South Carolina.

Anti-abortion Republican legislators in both Nebraska and South Carolina, two of the reddest states in the country, tried and failed to pass incredibly restrictive anti-abortion laws this week in their own legislatures. It's one thing, these days, for these laws to fail miserably when voted on by the people in a referendum — as has been the case every time abortion has been on the ballot — but to have them fail in Republican-controlled legislatures is a pretty big deal. Even if they only fail by one vote.

South Carolina currently bans abortion after 20 weeks. The state already passed a six-week ban last year, but it is currently being blocked by the state's supreme court on the grounds that it violates the right to privacy in the state's constitution. Still, some Republicans were hoping for a chance to pass something even more extreme than that. They wanted to pass the Human Life Protection Act, which would have banned abortion entirely, from conception, with exceptions for rape, life and health of the mother, and fatal fetal anomalies.

The Senate, however, rejected the bill in a 22-21 vote, with three Republicans switching sides to vote against it.

“Once a woman became pregnant for any reason, she would now become property of the state of South Carolina if the ‘Human Life Protection Act’ were [to] come into law,” Republican state Sen. Katrina Frye Shealy, who voted against the bill, said Wednesday during debate. “She could no longer make decisions on her own or at the advice of her well-trained doctor. Every female, regardless of her age, would suddenly become subject to the power of a code book regarding her health.”

By George, I think she's got it!

In Nebraska, a so-called "Heartbeat Act" that would have banned abortions after six weeks, before many even know they are pregnant, was stalled in the legislature when anti-choice Republicans were unable to garner enough votes to end the filibuster against it; they came one vote shy of the two-thirds supermajority they needed. They would have been able to do it, too, if two other Republican legislators hadn't abstained from voting. Whoops!

The measure failed despite some very compelling speeches on the Nebraska floor from anti-abortion legislators like state Sen. Steve Halloren, who helpfully explained that "No one's forcing anyone to be pregnant. Pregnant's a voluntary act between two consenting adults."

“Nebraska State Sen. Steve Halloran (R-Hastings): "No one's forcing anyone to be pregnant. Pregnant's a voluntary act between two consenting adults."”

— Heartland Signal (@Heartland Signal) 1682626087 

How very Todd Akin of him. He will surely be very surprised to discover that "pregnant" is not always a voluntary act and that the female body does not, in fact, have ways of shutting things down if it's not. Additionally, consent to sex is not the same thing as consent to pregnancy.

State Sen. Mike Jacobson, who did seem understand that people can get pregnant through non-consensual sex, waxed on about how "personal responsibility."

“Nebraska State Sen. Mike Jacobson (R-North Platte) says with rape and incest exemptions and the availability of contraception and pregnancy tests, there is no need for abortion: “So, ultimately what this comes down to is personal responsibility.””

— Heartland Signal (@Heartland Signal) 1682621992 

Why do they think this is such a good argument? Why on earth would they want people they think are "irresponsible" to be raising children or even carrying pregnancies to term? How would that be a good thing? It's the same question I have about people who get upset about the idea of people hypothetically "using abortion as birth control." Why would you want someone like that raising children in the first place? I don't get it.

But I also think that children are not a punishment for being irresponsible and that they deserve to be wanted and deserve to be raised in a loving home by people who are ready and responsible enough to do so. I'm crazy like that.

These bills may have only been defeated by small margins, and we may still have a lot of fight left to go, but the fact that these bans failed in these very states is a pretty good sign that we are on the right track.

 Do your Amazon shopping through this link, because reasons .

Wonkette is independent and fully funded by readers like you. Click below to tip us!