Both bills would require 60 votes to overcome an initial procedural hurdle. With Republicans controlling 53 seats neither are expected to get it, but it could force Democratic Senate candidates and White House hopefuls to go on record on the issue.

The second bill, from Sen.(R-Neb.), would penalize doctors who fail to "exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion."

The first, from Sen.(R-S.C.), would ban abortions after 20 weeks with exceptions for the life of the mother and victims of rape or incest. Doctors who violate the bill could face up to five years in prison.

Senate Majority Leader(R-Ky.) is teeing up the Senate to vote on two abortion-related bills once the chamber returns from a weeklong recess.The move would set up the Senate to take initial votes on the two bills just as Republicans begin to flock to Washington later this month for the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Senate Democrats previously blocked Sasse's bill last year, and similar legislation from Graham in 2018.

But Republicans had signaled they would soon turn to an abortion fight, a lightning rod issue that comes months before the 2020 presidential election.

Sen.(R-S.D.) highlighted the issue during a speech from the Senate floor on Thursday and accused Democrats of "abortion extremism."