U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer have declared their support for a bill that would make it illegal for a doctor to perform an abortion being sought because the fetus has Down syndrome, according to a news release.

Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., proposed the bill, which received backing from 13 Republican colleagues in the Senate. There is also a companion bill that was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The release cites a 2012 study, which found that over two-thirds of fetuses diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted in the U.S. Cramer and Hoeven, both North Dakota Republicans, said people with Down syndrome are valuable members of society and deserve a chance at life.

"6,000 babies with Down syndrome are born every year," Cramer said. "Each of them is a human being who deserves the right to life and the opportunity to make a difference in this world."

The proposal would impose a fine or prison sentence of up to five years on doctors in violation of the law and would pull federal funding from the performing clinics. The bill would not penalize the expectant mother in any way, according to the release.

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Abortion is currently legal in all 50 states up to at least 20 weeks of gestation.