House Panel Approves Ban on D.C. Abortions After 20 Weeks

A bill to ban abortions in the District after 20 weeks of pregnancy took a key step forward Wednesday as a House committee approved the controversial measure along party lines.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (Ariz.) and supported by his fellow Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, would ban all abortions in the District after 20 weeks except to save the life of the mother, under the theory that fetuses can feel pain beyond that point. Panel Democrats opposed the bill, calling it an assault on abortion rights and on the District’s ability to make its own laws.

D.C. officials view the bill as the latest affront to the city from the Republican-controlled House. Franks, who has been the target of protests by D.C. activists, made little mention of the District or the debate over home rule during the hearing, instead focusing on the broader abortion issue. . . .

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