Trump Administration says it will ‘take appropriate steps’ after House bill banning abortion
A White House statement on Monday said it would take appropriate steps “if the US Congress passes legislation that is harmful to women’s health.”
“While the president does not agree with the provisions of the bill, he will work with Congress to find ways to ensure that the safety of women and their unborn children is protected,” the statement said.
It did not elaborate.
The US House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill on Tuesday that would ban abortions after 20 weeks, as long as the pregnancy poses a threat to the woman’s health.
A similar measure is currently pending in the Senate.
US abortion rights groups are calling for a boycott of the vote.
“The President is in a strong position to veto this legislation,” said Sandra Merritt, president of the National Abortion Federation.
“Congress must do more to protect women’s rights and stop the needless deaths of women across the country.
This bill is another example of Trump’s continuing efforts to undermine women’s reproductive rights.”
The bill, sponsored by Republican Representative Tom McClintock of California, would also bar state agencies from implementing a federal ban on abortion in cases of rape or incest, as well as a provision that would require doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic.