The bill's author, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), said the United States is one of only seven countries, including North Korea and China, that allow abortion after 20 weeks. | John Shinkle/POLITICO Senate defeats Trump-backed 20-week abortion ban

The Senate on Monday blocked a bill, backed by President Donald Trump, to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The procedural vote, designed to put pressure on red-state Democrats who are up for reelection this fall, fell significantly short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.


The White House expressed strong support for the measure earlier Monday, saying it would “help to facilitate the culture of life to which our nation aspires.” During the 2016 election, Trump said he would sign a 20-week abortion ban if it made it to his desk — one of several key reasons anti-abortion groups reversed course to back his campaign.

The Senate voted 51-46 against advancing the bill. Democrats Joe Manchin, Joe Donnelly and Bob Casey broke with others in their party to vote to advance the bill. Republicans Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joined with the remaining Democrats present to block the measure.

The tally tracked closely with the vote on a similar abortion ban held in 2015, signaling that neither Republicans or Democrats are ready to change their minds on the issue.

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Trump called for the Senate to reconsider the vote, pointing out his disappointment with the filibuster.

"It is disappointing that despite support from a bipartisan majority of U.S. senators, this bill was blocked from further consideration," he said in a statement.

Anti-abortion advocates have made a priority of passing the 20-week ban, which is based on the premise that a fetus can feel pain at that point. The bill passed the House, 237-189, in October.

The bill's author, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), said the United States is one of only seven countries, including North Korea and China, that allow abortion after 20 weeks. "We're never going to give up until we get America in a better place," he said on the Senate floor.

Abortion rights groups said the bill imposed an arbitrary cut-off point and would be dangerous, arguing that the vast majority of abortions happen well before 20 weeks of pregnancy.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists President Haywood L. Brown said the bill “ignores scientific evidence regarding fetal inability to experience pain at that gestational age.”

The bill would impose a criminal penalty on physicians who perform an abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The Supreme Court has ruled that states cannot impose restrictions on abortion access before a fetus is viable outside the womb, at or about 23 to 24 weeks.

There are exceptions for pregnancies that threaten the woman’s life or are the result of rape or incest — as long as the woman has received counseling or medical treatment, or in the case of a minor, a law enforcement or government agency has been notified.